ST. LOUIS (KMOX) - The City of St. Louis Department of Health is partnering with the St. Louis Regional Health Commission and local federally qualified health centers to offer COVID-19 testing to any city resident who would like to get tested. This makes the City of St. Louis the first jurisdiction in Missouri to waive criteria for COVID-19 testing, making it available to everyone.
Up until now due to limited supplies, COVID-19 testing in the city has been restricted to those persons having symptoms for the virus.
“I’m elated that the Department of Health has been able to work with our community partners to make the city the first jurisdiction in the state to offer testing for everyone moving forward in our COVID-19 response efforts,” says Mayor Lyda Krewson. “Community testing is critical to the health of our residents, and increased testing plays an important role in providing data to assist in our decision making process as we continue our phased in reopening of the city.”
“Only being able to test symptomatic individuals has been similar to being in a fight with one hand tied behind your back, says Dr. Fredrick Echols, acting director of health for the City of St. Louis. “ Now that our testing capacity has increased to include testing of people without symptoms we’ll have the opportunity to get a much better understanding on how widespread the disease is in the community.”
“I encourage all city residents to take advantage of the free testing that’s being offered and I applaud the Department of Health for its leadership in this effort,” says Angela Brown, chief executive officer for the St. Louis Regional Health Commission. “Getting tested is critical to each person’s health and the overall wellness of the community and the region.” The St. Louis Regional Health Commission works to improve healthcare access and delivery to uninsured and underinsured individuals in the St. Louis region.