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Sentara to spend Saturday providing coronavirus tests to region’s most vulnerable

Sentara Northern Virginia Medical Center is correcting the record in the fight against the coronavirus.

The hospital will provide testing to pre-selected individuals on Saturday, May 16 at three locations:

  • Todos Supermarket in Dumfries, located at 17987 Dumfries Shopping Plaza
  • Sharon Baucom Dale City Recreation Center, at 14300 Minnieivlle Road in Dale City
  • An undisclosed site in Manassas

The screenings are targeted to those who are at the most vulnerable professions and are the most likely to contract the disease: nursing home workers, grocery store clerks, fire and EMS personnel, police and parole officers, postal workers, as well as the homeless.

The elderly, as well as those with chronic ailments diabetes, lung disease, kidney disease, and heart disease such as hypertension, coronary artery disease, will also be tested.

Sentara says those with multiple symptoms should consider getting a test:
Symptoms may include one or more of the following:

  • Low grade or no fever
  • Headache
  • Fatigue
  • Sore or scratchy throat
  • Cough
  • Shortness of breath
  • Runny nose or congestion
  • Loss of smell
  • In elderly would consider non-specific change in well-being, particularly recent falls, loss of appetite or eating, not feeling well in comparison to baseline

“Sentara recognizes that there are a number of underserved at-risk populations needing access to screenings and testing during this pandemic. Although we cannot provide testing to everyone, we hope to reach some of those at-risk communities,” said Sentara Northern Virginia Medical Center spokeswoman Susan Bahoric.

That statement comes after Prince William County Potomac District Supervisor Andrea Bailey proclaimed on Tuesday, May 12, that anyone who sought a test for coronavirus could simply show up at a testing site on Saturday and get one at no cost. That, however, is not the case, as the individuals getting the tests have already been selected.

During her regular meeting of the Board of County Supervisors on Tuesday, Bailey called attention to the fact that 47% of coronavirus-related deaths in Prince William County have been African American residents.

“… that is completely unacceptable. It’s imperative that we provide the necessary resources during this crucial time,” Bailey continued.

There have been 3,351 cases of coronavirus in Prince William County, with 320 people being hospitalized with the disease. A total of 66 people have died.

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  • I'm the Founder and Publisher of Potomac Local News. Raised in Woodbridge, I'm now raising my family in Northern Virginia and care deeply about our community. If you're not getting our FREE email newsletter, you are missing out. Subscribe Now!

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