Full Notification

Free COVID-19 Testing in Wood County with National Guard Assistance
Wisconsin Rapids, WI – Wood County Health Department has requested assistance from the WI National Guard to scale up COVID-19 testing. The National Guard will be providing drive-through style COVID-19 nasal swab testing in Wisconsin Rapids Friday, May 8th and Saturday, May 9th from 8am-4pm.
The event will be located at the Wood County Highway Department located at 555 17th Ave N, Wisconsin Rapids, WI 54495. The event is by appointment only. Please call 715-421-8931 to schedule appointments. Be prepared to provide a current address, county of residence, and phone number when you arrive for testing. Testing at this event will be free and is open to any Wisconsin resident experiencing symptoms. Anyone 5 years and older with any current symptom: fever, cough, loss of taste/smell, shortness of breath, sore throat, fatigue, body aches, diarrhea, vomiting or nausea, chills, and/or muscle aches is eligible for testing.
Due to the unknown amount of interest, prepare for potential wait times. It is requested that modes of transportation (cars, horse drawn buggies, etc.) form a line while waiting for testing, and that those who want to be tested, stay in or on their mode of transportation at all times. People will remain in their modes of transportation for testing and no restroom facilities will be available onsite, please plan accordingly.
The National Guard will be doing the testing. They will be in uniform and in full PPE (personal protective equipment including gowns, mask, gloves, etc.) during this event. Individuals will be contacted with results. There are two main goals for this event. 1) Provide our communities with mass testing. 2) Give public health better insight into how widespread COVID-19 is in our communities. Following this event, we will continue to work closely with our local healthcare providers to continue building their capacity to meet patient demand.
“Positive cases that are identified through this event will be isolated. Contact tracing of these cases will be used to stop further spread in our communities. If there are not many positive cases, we can use that data to explore reopening activities. A lack of positive cases as a result of this event doesn’t mean we’re in the clear. Physical distancing has and will continue to be an effective strategy at minimizing the spread of disease,” said Sue Kunferman, Wood County Health Officer/Director.
Following testing, people should return straight home and follow the instructions given at the testing site. Test results will be provided via phone by the National Guard or your local health department in a timely manner.
If you have questions or immediate needs related to COVID-19, call 2-1-1 or text COVID-19 to 211211. For upto-date information, please visit the Wood County Health Department website and Facebook page.