DeKalb now offering COVID-19 testing for wider range of people

Those that qualify still need to call and make an appointment — but the DeKalb County Board of Health is opening up COVID-19 testing services to a wider range of residents.

The move is part of a push by Gov. Brian Kemp to expand testing throughout the state. DeKalb public health officials had previously only offered testing to those with a reference number from a doctor.

Under the new guidelines, the following people will now be able to schedule an appointment for testing:

• Hospitalized patients
• People with symptoms that fall under the following categories:
• Health care workers, first responders and other critical infrastructure workers
• Those living in long-term care facilities or other group residential settings
• Those 65 years or older
• Those with underlying medical conditions
• Household members or caregivers of any of the groups above
• Those with close contact with a known COVID-19 case
• People without symptoms that fall under the following categories, as testing capacity allows:
• Healthcare workers, first responders, and other critical infrastructure workers that have been exposed to COVID-19
• Residents of long-term care facilities or other group residential settings with an outbreak of COVID-19

Anyone meeting the new criteria must call DeKalb's COVID-19 call center at 404-294-3700 and select Option 1 to schedule an appointment.

The call center is open 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, as well as 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday.

DeKalb County has kept the locations of its two testing sites confidential. The location will only be revealed to individuals who have scheduled a testing appointment.

As of Tuesday evening, Georgia had confirmed 14,578 cases of the disease caused by the novel coronavirus. A total of 524 deaths had been reported.