LAFAYETTE, La. (KATC) — Lafayette Mayor-President Josh Guillory held a briefing Tuesday with other local officials at Lafayette City Hall to provide updates on the Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) screening site that will open Wednesday from 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. at the Cajundome.
The site will screen those showing symptoms such as cough, shortness of breath, and fever to determine if they should be tested for COVID-19.
Those who think they should get screened are asked to call 311 and press 1 in order to speak to a medical professional, who will then recommend if they should get screened.
Citizens are encouraged to only go to the screening site if:
- They are experiencing symptoms of acute viral respiratory illness (coughing or shortness of breath) and/or a temperature greater than 100.4°
- They are experiencing symptoms and are pregnant or considered high-risk*
Those who are screened will be tested for the flu. If those tests come back negative, then they will be further tested for COVID-19.
Those who show up Wednesday are asked to bring a picture ID and their insurance card to be tested for the flu or COVID-19. The screening itself is free of charge. LCG says that if a participant requires a COVID-19 test and does not have insurance, there will be a charge associated with the private lab that processes the sample collected. This fee will not be collected on site.
Testing will be limited to those with symptoms of acute respiratory illness and those at high risk of infection. Those considered high risk* will be given priority. That includes healthcare workers, pregnant women, those over the age of 60, babies age 10 weeks and younger, those living in communal environments, and those with serious health conditions such as cancer, heart disease, HIV, diabetes, and cancer. Pregnant women are also eligible to be tested.
Medical professionals and healthcare workers are asked to volunteer their efforts to help with the screening site. Those interested can call 337-262-5311
You can watch Mayor-President Guillory's full briefing below:
The Lafayette City and Parish Councils held meetings Tuesday night, and the public was able to attend - with caveats. Read more here.
COVID-19 screening criteria are below: