Free mobile testing for COVID-19 set in Cairo

Southern Seven Health Department has scheduled a free mobile COVID-19 testing event in Cairo. 

The testing is planned from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 28, at Southern Seven’s Head Start location in Building B at 4115 S. Sycamore St.

The health department said the free nasal swab test is “quick and easy, with results in as little as three days.”

Anyone needing a COVID-19 test, even those without symptoms, can be tested without an appointment or doctor’s referral.  

The Illinois Department of Health and Southern Seven Health Department are hosting the event.

Since September, Southern Seven Health Department has held 11 mobile COVID-19 testing events in each of the seven counties it serves, testing a total of 770 people.

As the virus continues to sweep across the region, Southern Seven Health Department is encouraging all residents to get tested, “regardless of symptoms, especially if they have been in close contact with someone who has tested positive.  It is through testing that the health department can effectively track this disease and prevent its spread to our most vulnerable populations.”

Residents who are unable to be tested on Nov. 28 are asked to watch for these symptoms: 

Fever or chills, cough, shortness of breath, fatigue, body aches, headache, new loss of taste or smell, sore throat, congestion or runny nose, nausea or vomiting, and diarrhea. 

The health department advises that if people develop symptoms, they should begin isolation immediately and contact their healthcare provider about getting tested for COVID-19.