Free COVID-19 testing available on campus this week
Jenna Peterson ® News Editor |
Minnesota State University, Mankato president Richard Davenport announced Saturday that a free COVID-19 testing site will open in Myers Field House on campus this week.
The testing will be available for all MNSU students and staff as well as Mankato community members. This precaution is being taken to help keep everyone safe and stay on campus for a successful school year.
In order to keep track of the COVID-19 cases on campus and to know what precautions to take, there is a safety level chart the university is following. MNSU has moved down to the yellow zone after only residence hall move-in and one week of classes.
The Minnesota Department of Health will be helping with this event in order to control the number of COVID-19 cases both on campus and in the city. With the testing being free, there is a limit to the number of people who will be allowed to be tested.
President Davenport is encouraging people to pre-register with the link provided in his email.
The testing event comes in response to the increasing case numbers throughout the state that took place in August.
According to the CDC website, Minnesota has increased its number of cases by 5,566 within the past seven days. By comparison, Blue Earth County gained 10.1 more cases from Aug. 9 to Aug. 15.
Junior Kristin Olson was tested earlier in the summer because of her job and her experience was much like other people’s. After connecting with Mankato Clinic, she was able to schedule an appointment for the same day.
Olson described the clinic as, “clean and empty,” with all workers inside the clinic using appropriate PPE gear and allowing one patient in at a time until they were in a separate room.
Everyone who showed up to the clinic had to wait outside in their cars before being checked in for their appointment.
“The test itself was much like they described it would be,” said Olson. “The swab felt like it was going into my sinuses, weird enough.”
It took only 48 hours for Olson to receive her results. She was also happy to note that the test was covered through her insurance.
Senior Amber Edick said she started to show symptoms one day, and after calling the Mankato Clinic the next day she was able to schedule a same-day appointment.
Edick talked about the test itself as, “feeling like it was touching my brain.”
Edick was also able to get her test results in a timely 24 hours. She said her insurance covered some of the COVID-related services, but not all of them.
If you are experiencing any COVID-19 symptoms or have been exposed, it’s important to take advantage of the free testing and reserve your appointment.
Header photo: Nurse practitioner Debbi Hinderliter, left, collects a sample from a woman at a coronavirus testing site near the nation’s busiest pedestrian border crossing in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull, File)