Burnet County opens new testing site; 14 cases confirmed
By Lew K. Cohn
Managing Editor
The Highlander
A new drive-thru COVID-19 test site has opened in Burnet as the number of local confirmed cases has now reached double digits with 14reported by the Department of State Health Services.
On Thursday, April 23, personnel from Ascension Seton Highland Lakes, in conjunction with Burnet city and county officials, began conducting nasal-swab COVID-19 testing at the Burnet County Fairgrounds, 1301 Houston Clinton Drive, and will continue to do so each Tuesday and Thursday from 9 a.m. to noon.
However, testing will not be done without an order from a primary care physician or a virtual appointment through Ascension Seton Highland Lakes.
If a person shows up with a scheduled appointment, they will confirm the patient's identity and send the car to the greeter station.
People who come out without an appointment will be classified into one of two groups (those with a primary care provider and those without) and then triaged to determine if their symptoms qualify them for testing for COVID-19.
If the patient has a primary care physician and needs testing, they will be instructed to have their primary care physician issue an order for testing. If the individual does not have a primary care physician but qualifies for testing, they will be instructed to call 512-715-3019 to schedule a virtual appointment so they can be tested.
All patients will be given a handout on managing symptoms in their home environment, whether they qualify for testing or not.
Those who do receive the nasal-swab test will either have the lab testing company bill their insurance or, if they do not have insurance, will be billed for payment. Cost for the test is $60 per person.
For general information, people are encouraged to call the Burnet Fire Department from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday at 512-765-2662 (press zero to speak to a person).
The number of confirmed positive cases in Burnet County has doubled since last weekend, when it was at just six. On Monday, April 20, the total climbed to nine and it reached 13 on Tuesday, April 21, before case 14 was announced Thursday.
As of press time, there were 21,994 cases reported in Texas with 561 fatalities, none in Burnet or Llano counties, and an estimated 8,025 patients had recovered. There were 1,649 confirmed COVID-19 patients in hospitals statewide, according to the Department of State Health Services (DSHS), and confirmed cases in 202 of Texas' 254 counties.
A total of 225,078 tests have been administered in Texas, with 10,002 taking place through public laboratory facilities and another 215,076 coming from private labs. This represents testing of just 0.73 percent of the state's total population.
At last count, at least 35 people had been tested for COVID-19 in Burnet County, while 24 people had been tested in Llano County. Cumulative tests by county are updated weekly by DSHS.
Statistics for confirmed cases and fatalities are updated daily on the DSHS COVID-19 website at dshs.gov.
