COVID TESTING

For any locals thinking about getting tested for covid, here's the scoop: Your two best options are Rocky Mountain Urgent Care in Lakewood and the Pepsi Center. Each has pros and cons. You do not need to be symptomatic, you do not need a referral, and you do not need to get out of your car for either. There are other options (STRIDE, Jewish Hospital), but these are the two I dealt with, and the two best options imo for location and simplicity. These are, of course, all non-emergency options. If you're really sick, especially if you're experiencing breathing problems, please go to the ER.

RMUC: Complicated process, but quick return time. RMUC does testing daily (not sure about weekends.) In order to get on the schedule for any given day, you need to call that morning. Number is 303-986-9610 option 3. They open at 8am and I called right at 8am and was still on hold for 15 minutes, got disconnected, called back and sat on hold for another 15 minutes. When you finally get through they will give you an email address where you need to send some forms in. Make sure you copy that email address down correctly as it's name based and not intuitive (they should really have a single covid related email address.) The forms you will need to email are your DL/ID, back and front of insurance card, and from their website; the Patient Registration form and Financial Agreement form. After you send the forms in you should get a confirmation email, then they will call you sometime that morning for a quick telemedicine phone chat, and finally they will give you a time to show up. DO NOT MISS THE PHONE CALL or you will be playing phone tag with them all morning. And BE ON TIME for the appointment or you may lose your spot. Once there, it's supposedly a quick and easy process from inside your vehicle and you receive the test results in THREE DAYS. I did not end up going to RMUC because I got tired of playing phone tag with them and I was feeling better. However, if you are showing symptoms or came into contact with someone else who is sick, this is your best option for getting results quickly so you can either continue quarantine or get back to work.

Pepsi Center: Easy and quick, but long wait time for results. Pre-register online, this makes things super quick. The website is: tinyurl.com/y7u2xxj6 The website says you need to either live or work in Denver to get tested at the Pepsi Center, but really anybody in Colorado can get tested there because they don't ask for verification that you actually work in Denver (which I occasionally do.) Once you're pre-registered you can go down to the Pepsi Center any time for testing, but you must enter at the 7th and Auraria entrance. They open at 8am. During the week they stay open until they have completed 2,000 tests, and on weekends they are open until noon. But keep an eye on the website as they occasionally shut down early due to "extreme heat." I pre-registered around 9am on Thursday and got to the Pepsi Center at 10:30am. There were five cars in front of me and it took maybe 30 seconds to get to the front of the line. There's a person there with a sign asking for thumbs up or down for pre-registration. I gave thumbs up and they sent me through to one of the 12 testing station tents. I showed my ID, they found my info, did the swab, and gave me a flyer with the website where you must register to get your results. The whole thing took maybe five minutes, BUT it takes 7-8 DAYS to get results.

On a side note, I started showing symptoms on Tuesday; fever/chills, headache, muscle aches/cramps, diarrhea. By Thursday morning I felt much better but decided to get tested anyway just to be safe. I heard from a holistic healer friend that there's a stomach bug going around Colorado that has similar symptoms, and I believe that's what I had. I'll find out for sure on Thu/Fri of next week, and I'll report back on timing and results when I get them (and hopefully take myself out of self-quarantine.)

Stay healthy friends!

ETA: The test is a nasal swab. Three swipes in each nostril. You actually do the test yourself and it's not painful in any way.

VERY thoughtful of U to post such a DETAILED account....saves others alot of hassle. I am on the
Western slope and the perimeters for testing are different....from what I understand, the saliva test is
the least effect and the MOST is the DEEP DIVE nasal swab....the whole of the problem is complex and
confusing....antibodies testing was offered,U pay out of pocket and the test isNOT really definite...could
change within days....seems a week is along time for results,but it is what it is....GOOD HEALTH VIBS
being sent to U.....THANKS for the info...

Hey everyone! I got my test back from the Pepsi Center on Monday and it was negative!! It looks like it was actually ready on Sunday, so they're processing tests much faster than the 7-8 days they said it would take.

WHAT a wonderful relief.....Good on U....stay safe and come"join" into the fray once in awhile:whistle:

If you are just curious and want to do a good deed, donate blood. One of the things they test for is the anti-body.

OK THEN...here on the western slope this is how it goes...(my DH golf partner;'s wife tested positive,her
husband also long distance bikes and has a bike buddy. He trace contacted his list,because his bike buddy
tested positive,so-o-o DH played golf last Friday....we just completed Covid test this AM....because
of trace contact,the Dept of Health scheduled the testing immediately....drive thru at hospital outdoor site.
THE DEEP DIVE NASAL SWAB was just stingy ( not as bad as described by some)...the total time for
both of our tests was 40 minutes wait....THEN specimens are couriered to Denver....they have added a
night shift 24/7 to get caught up on testing results....we were quoted 7 to 10 days,but our Health rep
said more like 4 or 5 days....AUG 7th would be our end of isolation IF the results were positive....I asked
what percentage is A symptomatic,she said about 10 percent....she stated that was one the reason cases
are increasing...because people are shedding the virus(UNKNOWINGLY,because of no symptoms.)