Another Pandemic Holiday: Where to Find Tests and Boosters in Spokane before you congregate

The second pandemic holiday season is just around the corner.

With a new variant of the coronavirus on the way and Delta still floating around, health officials are recommending several measures, from testing to booster doses to masking, to stay safe for the rest of 2021 and through 2022.

If you are traveling or attending a large gathering, the health officer recommends Dr. Francisco Velázquez to get tested before you leave, regardless of your vaccination status or booster.

Lab-based PCR tests typically take one to three days to get results, while rapid tests can give results in as little as 10 minutes to an hour.

It is also recommended that you avoid large gatherings and wear a mask in environments where you are unsure of everyone’s vaccination status.

And if you have any symptoms like dry cough, fatigue, muscle pain, headache, fever, or other flu or cold symptoms, health officials recommend getting tested for the virus.

With many people doing tests at home, health officials ask that residents who test positive report their results to the state health department.

To report a positive COVID test at home, call (800) 525-0127. The Department of Health will notify the Spokane Regional Health District which will begin the contact tracing process. If you’ve activated it, you will also report your positive test result to the WA Notify app to generate automatic notifications for your most recent close contacts.

If you test positive and need resources such as isolation room, groceries shipped, or other services, it is important to report your test results. You should be contacted by the local health district and the contact tracing team can provide and direct services to you if necessary.

Velázquez also recommends seeing your doctor if you test positive for COVID-19 with a rapid test at home to see if you need a laboratory-based PCR test to confirm the results or how long to isolate.

A negative test result on a home rapid test means that no virus was detected at that time. However, this result may be misleading depending on the time of exposure prior to performing the test.

The state epidemiologist Dr. Scott Lindquist recommends anyone who experiences symptoms who tests negative use a home test for medical advice.

“If you take a test and it is negative and you have symptoms, talk to your doctor and do a better test,” Lindquist told reporters this week.

If you tested positive for COVID-19 you should isolate yourself for at least 10 days since your symptoms appeared or you tested positive, but when you get out of isolation depends on your disease progression and other Centers for Disease Control guidelines off and prevention.

Health officials are pushing for booster doses for anyone who is eligible, that is, those 16 and over who are either six months after their last Moderna or Pfizer dose, or two months after their Johnson & Johnson dose.

Velázquez said that booster doses, like the vaccines, take two weeks to elicit an immune response. If you can’t get a booster shot before a holiday gathering, he recommends getting tested, wearing masks, and keeping gatherings small.

For fully vaccinated and fortified small gatherings, it’s okay to go without masks, Velázquez said. But at larger gatherings or when you are unsure of a person’s vaccination status, it is safer to mask yourself.

“When in doubt, keep the mask on,” he said.

There aren’t any confirmed Omicron cases in Spokane County yet, but it’s only a matter of time. The new variant could be more contagious than Delta, and modelers predict a significant spike in cases in the coming weeks as it spreads.

Where can I find COVID Testing in Spokane County

Community test sites:
- The Spokane Falls Community College drive-through test site is open Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
  On Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve, this location offers rapid antigen tests from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. instead of the laboratory-based PCR tests normally performed on site. Drive-ups are welcome, but you can also make an appointment online.
- The Spokane Fair & Expo Center’s drive-through test site is open Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. This site also offers PCR tests, the results of which can take two to three days. This page is closed on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve. Drive-ups are welcome, but you can also make an appointment online.
Say yes to COVID test
- Almost every resident in east Washington qualifies for free COVID at home tests. Register online and you will receive eight COVID tests to take at home directly to your door. Supplies are running out fast, however, and are expected to run out by Christmas Eve.
Examination in the district library
Pharmacies, emergency clinics, providers
- Some local pharmacies such as Rite Aid, Walgreens or Safeway / Albertsons, as well as health care providers, offer tests to their patients or to make appointments. Many pharmacies had limited drive-through testing appointments this week, but some pharmacies are also selling COVID test kits for at home in their stores. For more testing options for the county, visit the health district website.

Where can I find COVID booster vaccinations

Booster shots are in short supply in Spokane County this week. Some Spokane County providers and clinics still have booster doses available next week, but many pharmacies are not planning any booster doses until the New Year.

To find a booster dose, use the state’s vaccine locator tool or call (833) VAX-HELP. Heads of state and health officials are working to make booster vaccinations more widely available, but those solutions are unlikely to go online until next week at the earliest.

Here’s a look at local numbers:

The Spokane Regional Health District reported 68 new COVID cases and two more deaths on Wednesday.

There have been 1,138 deaths from COVID-19 in Spokane County.

In Spokane, 72 patients with COVID-19 are hospitalized.

Panhandle Health District reported 91 new COVID-19 cases and seven more deaths on Wednesday.

There have been 761 deaths from COVID-19 among Panhandle residents.

There are 73 Panhandle residents who have been hospitalized with the virus.