RAPID CITY, S.D. – Following updated recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Monument Health has expanded its list of questions to patients who call the nurse triage line to obtain a COVID-19 test.
The general testing recommendation is to perform a diagnostic test if the patient presents the the following signs and symptoms of COVID-19:
- Cough or
- Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
Or at least two of these symptoms:
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· Fever · Chills · Repeated shaking with chills · Muscle pain |
· Headache · Sore throat · New loss of taste or smell
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According to the CDC, people with COVID-19 have reported a wide variety of symptoms, ranging from mild symptoms to severe illness. Symptoms may appear 2-14 days after exposure to the virus.
Monument Health began processing its own COVID-19 test samples at its Rapid City laboratory on April 10 and will continue to do this with the updated testing recommendations.
For suspected COVID-19 cases involving patients who are not hospitalized, samples will continue to be sent to Mayo Clinic for processing. The turnaround time for Mayo Clinic results is generally 36 hours. If you believe you have COVID-19 but are not hospitalized, call Monument Health’s Nurse Triage Line at 605-755-1350 to determine if testing is necessary.
