MUSCATINE, Iowa–The spread of COVID is currently close to an all-time high and testing resources in Muscatine County are currently limited through healthcare clinics. Due to this, Trinity-Muscatine Public Health encourages employers to use symptom-based ending isolation and quarantine guidelines, not requiring negative test results for a return to work. Individuals can continue to remain positive on a PCR test for up to three months after first testing positive. If an individual’s symptoms have not improved by day five, it is recommended that the individual continue to isolate until symptoms have improved.
If your employees are asymptomatic, mildly symptomatic, have an exposure, seek a travel test, or comple routine testing please, utilize Muscatine’s local Hy-Vee Drugstores or Wester Drug. Please remember that CDC guidelines to do not recommend testing people to return to work or school. The CDC recommends that if you have had a direct exposure to COVID-19 you need to wait five days or until symptoms appear before considering testing.
Additional resources for PCR and rapid testing are available through Muscatine’s local Hy-Vee Drugstores, Wester Drug, TestIowa.com, or COVIDtests.gov. If businesses would like to set up an agreement with Hy-Vee Drugstore for employer testing, please contact Matt Schweizer at [email protected] or call 563-264-2420. For employer testing, businesses may also contact Wester Drug’s Owner, Michelle Garvin at [email protected] or call 563- 263-7044.
According to Dr. Robert Wood, a medical provider from UnityPoint Clinic practicing in Muscatine County, “I would encourage all employers to simply follow the current CDC guidelines for anyone who is ill. Consider them
positive and send them home. Testing from an employer standpoint is not necessary. They should allow sick employees to go home and care for themselves or seek medical attention if needed. The same should be considered for daycares and schools. This makes most sense for young and healthy individuals and will allow us to focus on the individuals who are most at risk.” The most at risk individuals include people age 50 and older and people suffering from obesity, diabetes, and lung disease.
Dr. Wood added, “We need to stop the baseless testing for the sake of testing so that the medical facilities can focus on the patients who are highest risk. This does not mean that the delta variant is gone. We are overwhelmed with Omicron, which is making it hard for the medical system (clinics) to identify a delta-like presentation of COVID and start early treatment.”
Universal masking and vaccinations (and boosters) continue to be the best tools to help keep employees safe and healthy. Thank you for all you continue to do to slow the spread of the virus and keep our communities up and running.
For information and updates related to COVID-19, visit Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) | CDC.
