Worried that cough is COVID-19? Michigan makes it easier to get a coronavirus test

LANSING — Wondering if that cough is allergies or COVID-19? 

Now you can check.

More Michigan residents are now eligible to get coronavirus tests, according to an executive order issued Tuesday by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.

They include anyone who:

• exhibits any symptoms of COVID-19, even mild ones. Symptoms include coughing, fever and shortness of breath.
• has been exposed to someone with COVID-19 or who have COVID-19 symptoms.
• has been working outside their home for at least 10 days.
• lives in congregate care facilities, like homeless shelters, jails, migrant camps or long-term care facilities. 

Anyone who has a reason to be tested for COVID-19 can get a test at no out-of-pocket cost, the executive order states. Health insurance companies still should cover related costs of testing.

"We're working incredibly hard to make it easier for everyone to get tested," Whitmer said during a Tuesday press conference.

Public health experts say expanding testing is key to slowing the spread of the coronavirus in Michigan, since people can make safer choices if they know whether they are carrying the virus.

"This [order] creates a new category of community testing sites that offer testing to anyone with reason to be tested without an advanced order and without charging out-of-pocket costs," she said.

Whitmer was tested Thursday at the Sparrow Health System testing site in Lansing’s Frandor shopping development. She does not have the virus nor the antibodies, which means she has not contracted COVID-19.

"It was quick, it was simple and it was painless," she said.

More:Gov. Gretchen Whitmer just got tested for COVID-19 for the first time at Sparrow site in Frandor

Pharmacists, nurses and PA's can administer tests

The Tuesday order also allows more health care providers, including pharmacists, nurses and physician's assistants, to perform or order coronavirus tests.

There are 11 coronavirus testing sites in the Lansing area, primarily in Ingham County. They are listed at michigan.gov/coronavirustest.

Ingham County Health Officer Linda Vail said the area has plenty of testing capacity.

As of May 22, Ingham County had done about 14,400 tests, she said. That represents 5% to 6% of the county’s population.

Clinton County had tested more than 2,500 people, while Eaton County had tested more than 4,800.  

Sparrow Health System does the bulk of those tests — about 800 per day, spokesperson John Foren said. It has capacity to do 1,600 per day.

He does not anticipate a problem with capacity because of this order, but finding enough swabs for testing is "a challenge," he said.

From time to time, supplies of personal protective equipment have run low, but they haven’t run out, Vail said.

"Every time we start running low on gowns, they figure it out," she said. "We have always been able to find resources and fill the gaps before it becomes a true problem."

41 Greater Lansing coronavirus patients have died

The state on Tuesday reported 223 new cases of COVID-19 and 26 more deaths from the disease, bumping the case total above 55,000 and the death toll to 5,266.

In Greater Lansing, COVID-19 has been a factor in 41 deaths, with 25 of those deaths involving Ingham County residents.

Local officials reported only six new cases and no new deaths on Tuesday.

Contact Carol Thompson at (517) 377-1018 or ckthompson@lsj.com. Follow her on Twitter @thompsoncarolk. Reporter Ken Palmer contributed to this story.