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ROCHESTER, Minn. — Minnesota Governor Tim Walz recently announced that any Minnesota resident who participated in a protest, vigil, or other mass gathering, including first responders, are eligible to receive a COVID-19 test. Mayo Clinic and Mayo Clinic Health System sites in Minnesota are helping to support public health departments in local communities and have implemented new testing guidelines to ensure increased access to testing.
Any Minnesota resident who participated in a mass gathering or other large event should call their primary care provider or refer to the Minnesota Department of Health website for more information on how to get the COVID-19 molecular (swab) test. This new directive applies to both symptomatic and asymptomatic participants. Patients will be directed to a testing site to receive a test. Patients will be notified of their test results via the testing communications currently in place. Mayo Clinic patients will receive the results via their Patient Online Services portal, and if the results are positive will receive a phone call from a Mayo Clinic staff member. Patients who do not have a portal account will receive a phone call with their results. For more information on the different types of COVID-19 tests, check out the article on who should get COVID-19 testing.
Patients in Wisconsin should contact their primary care provider for testing.
What preventive measures should you take to protect yourself and others from COVID-19?
- Wash your hands often
- Get tested when you’re sick, or have other risk factors such as recently participating in a mass gathering
- Maintain social distance
- Wear a mask
- Stay home when able
- Follow state, local, and employer guidelines
Bobbi Pritt, M.D., a clinical microbiologist at Mayo Clinic, emphasizes the importance of following up on your results if you were tested. "If you were tested and have not received your results, please reach out to your health care provider by phone or email," says Dr. Pritt. "Whether your results are positive or negative, it's important that you know so you can take the right steps in stopping the spread of the virus."
Media Contact: Mayo Clinic Public Affairs,
507-284-5005, newsbureau@mayo.edu
Physicians at any institution in the United States who are treating hospitalized patients with COVID-19 can register their patients’ information at uscovidplasma.org.
Recovered from COVID-19?Patients who have recovered from COVID-19 and are seeking to donate plasma should contact the national resource sharing network for a nearby blood donation center location. Mayo Clinic, groups like Vitalant, America’s Blood Centers and many others within the larger commercial and non-commercial blood-banking community are working with physicians to collect and distribute donor plasma to hospitalized patients with severe or life-threatening COVID-19.
Information in this post was accurate at the time of its posting. Due to the fluid nature of the COVID-19 pandemic, scientific understanding along with guidelines and recommendations may have changed since the original publication date.
Check the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website for additional updates on COVID-19. For more information and all your COVID-19 coverage, go to the Mayo Clinic News Network and mayoclinic.org.
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