BUFFALO, N.Y. (WBEN) - The Erie County Department of Health has changed their criteria for those wishing to get tested for coronavirus.
Starting Thursday, the health department will offer tests to Erie County residents who are under quarantine due to close contact with someone who has tested positive for the virus. They will also test those who have symptoms of COVID-19.
"We expected that we would need to shift our testing resources when our county experienced an increase in cases, and that is happening right now," Health Commissioner Dr. Gale Burstein said in a statement. "Our daily positivity rates and volume of daily cases are increasing. This change in testing criteria is part of our aggressive approaches to reversing these troubling trends."
Previously, anyone who wished to get tested for coronavirus could do so through the Erie County Health Department.
There were 1,300 tests conducted by Erie County health officials in the first week of November, though there were 33,000 lab reports given to the county.
All appointments through the department of health must be scheduled by calling (716) 858-2929.
"Our health care partners and New York State have expanded their capacity to do diagnostic testing in our community," Burstein said. "The demand for diagnostic testing will increase these next weeks and months, and from a public health perspective we are going to direct our resources to breaking the chains of transmission at their sources, with people who have known exposure to the disease and those who are presenting with COVID-like symptoms."
The county's coronavirus information line will be closed on November 11 because of Veterans' Day.
