500 sign up for virus testing event in Cape

More than 500 people signed up to take a free COVID-19 community sampling test Friday at Arena Park in Cape Girardeau.

By pre-registration appointment only, the drive-up test was made available from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

"My understanding is the (Missouri) Department of Health and Senior Services had a waiting list for the test," said Jane Wernsman, director of the Cape Girardeau Public Health Center.

COVID-19 testing uses the same test procedure as the flu -- the nasopharyngeal (or nasal) swab -- according to a DHSS news release.

Wernsman said a National Guardsman with health care training went to each motorist's car window wearing full personal protective equipment (PPE).

Kristen Arroyo, a private first class with the Missouri Army National Guard, works in personal protective equipment during free COVID-19 testing Friday, June 5, 2020, at Arena Park in Cape Girardeau. The drive-up testing event was scheduled for 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.Jacob Wiegand ~ jwiegand@semissourian.com

The swab resembles a long cotton-tipped swab and was inserted for 15 seconds into the nose to reach the cavity between the nose and the mouth and rotated several times.

The entire process, according to the director, took no more than 10 minutes.

Wernsman, whose agency helped supervise the test setup and acted as liaison between DHSS and the Guard, said the swab was placed into one nostril.

"(DHSS) tells me if a person's eyes begin to water, then (the application) was done correctly," Wernsman said.

Residents who previously signed up were stopped near a barn on Optimist Drive to answer a few preliminary questions, then were released to drive up to the testing line, she said.

Vehicles wait in line during free COVID-19 testing Friday, June 5, 2020, at Arena Park in Cape Girardeau. The drive-up testing event was scheduled for 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.Jacob Wiegand ~ jwiegand@semissourian.com

Gov. Mike Parson announced a plan May 21 to rapidly increase coronavirus testing volume to 7,500 tests per day in Missouri.

Parson said "sampling" gives DHSS a better sense of COVID-19 prevalence in an area, which in turn helps the state guide its response to the pandemic.

If overall testing indicates a low prevalence of the virus, the results may reassure citizens it is safe to begin reengaging in community and returning to somewhat normal activity.

Should the prevalence be higher, DHSS said, "quick and proactive steps" will be taken to keep the virus from spreading further.

Cape Girardeau County and Greene County -- where Springfield, Missouri, is located -- did sampling Friday. Previous testing was done in Boone, Jackson, Jefferson and St. Charles counties.

Those tested should expect to receive a follow-up phone call from DHSS within seven days.

If there is a positive result for coronavirus, DHSS said instructions about next steps will be provided.

"You didn't have to live in Cape Girardeau County to get the test in Arena Park," Wernsman said. "You just had to be a Missouri resident and (the test) was available whether or not a person is experiencing symptoms."

Symptoms include fever, cough, shortness of breath, difficulty breathing, chills, repeated shaking from chills, muscle pain, headache or sore throat.