Anne Arundel County is encouraging more county residents to be tested for COVID-19 through a County Department of Health and private health provider initiative. As testing capacity has increased due to more acquired kits and supplies, providers can now test both symptomatic and asymptomatic residents.
“By significantly expanding our testing, and following that up with contact tracing on all positive cases, Anne Arundel County will be able to shift from the blunt instruments of economic shutdown and stay-at-home toward responsible reopening, while effectively isolating the virus and limiting community spread,” said County Executive Steuart Pittman.
Health Officer Nilesh Kalyanaraman, M.D., and health department staff have reached out to local health care providers, including through webinars and the Medical Society. The department encourages providers to
- inform their patients of COVID-19 symptoms
- offer testing to symptomatic patients and to asymptomatic high-risk patients
- test patients as soon as they have any COVID-19 signs or symptoms
“Testing symptomatic and high-risk asymptomatic individuals will help to quickly identify and care for infected people and their contacts,” said Dr. Kalyanaraman. “Getting tested as soon as you start having symptoms is critical to slowing the spread.”
County residents should check with their primary care providers to see if they are offering testing. If testing is not available through their provider, they can visit aahealth.org/covid19 or call the county’s COVID-19 Health Line, 410-222-7256, for testing information or to schedule an appointment at no cost.
