COVID-19 TEST

U-M Health patients can now access their COVID-19 vaccine and testing information on their smartphones.

A Metro Detroit man was hit with a hospital bill for more than $600 after he got a COVID-19 test.

Residents of Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti can receive free COVID tests to take at home.

Ann Arbor-based COVID testing lab, LynxDx, has opened new testing sites across Michigan.

DETROIT – As of Wednesday, the number of confirmed cases of coronavirus (COVID-19) in Michigan had risen to 373,197, which includes 9,405 deaths, according to state officials. READ: Coronavirus in Michigan: Here’s what to know Dec. 3, 2020While the rate of new COVID-19 cases is slowing, deaths continue to rise. READ: Everything you should know about COVID-19 in Michigan before Whitmer’s Thursday (Dec. 3) briefingFree COVID-19 testing site opens in Highland ParkA free COVID-19 mobile testing site has reopened to the public at the SAY Detroit Family Health Clinic in Highland Park. How to find free COVID-19 testing anywhere in MichiganThe state of Michigan has a website available where you can put in your address or zip code and find a COVID-19 testing site near you. VIEW: Tracking Michigan COVID-19 testing dataVIEW: Tracking coronavirus cases, outbreaks in Michigan schools

DETROIT – Detroit’s coronavirus (COVID-19) testing center will be moved from the fairgrounds to the Joseph Walker Williams Center starting Tuesday. The people who will be working at the testing center helped plan the transition. The reason the testing site will be moving from the State Fair Grounds is because colder temperatures are on the way. There will be 13 patients at a time able to fit inside of the location for testing. The center hopes to be able to maintain its clean record as far as the employees go.

An additional five coronavirus (COVID-19) testing sites are opening this week throughout Michigan as part of the states Neighborhood Testing initiative. In addition to no-cost COVID-19 testing sites throughout the state, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) is partnering with community members to operate testing sites at locations such as churches, community colleges and nonprofit organizations. This week, five new no-cost COVID-19 testing sites will open in Detroit, Lansing, Niles, Saginaw and Wayne. The state announced last Wednesday a plan to open more than 30 neighborhood testing sites throughout Michigan over the next few weeks. You can find more no-cost testing sites in Michigan online here.

DETROIT – The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted emergency use authorization for Yale University’s coronavirus test, Saliva Direct. Saliva Direct uses a simplified testing method that cuts the turnaround time to less than 24 hours. Researchers said the accuracy of the Saliva Direct results matched almost perfectly with the group’s swab tests. The Saliva Direct test is simple enough to be used by labs everywhere, once they go through the required accreditation process. Yale and the NBA do not intend to take any royalties from the testing method, making it available for free.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted emergency use authorization for Yale University’s coronavirus test, Saliva Direct. If you need help with the Public File, call (313) 222-0566.

DETROIT When my photographer partner, Justin and I were invited to do an exclusive summer school tour with Dr. Nikolai Vitti on Friday, there was one caveat. We had to produce evidence of a recent coronavirus (COVID-19) test that shows a negative result. Its one of those times in life you want to be negative. READ: Inside Detroit summer school classrooms during pandemicThe City of Detroit offers rapid testing. Justin and I walk you through our experience with the City of Detroit Health Department and our nurse, April who did our nasal swabs.

The FDA said Saturday that it reissued an emergency use authorization to Quest Diagnostics to use its COVID-19 test with pooled samples. Pooling works best with lab-run tests, which take hours -- not the much quicker individual tests used in clinics or doctors offices. Thats because the logistical and financial benefits of pooling only add up when a small number of pools test positive. Experts generally recommend the technique when fewer than 10% of people are expected to test positive. For example, pooling would not be cost-effective in Arizona, where a surge has pushed positive test results to well over 10%.

LANSING, Mich. The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) is expanding testing criteria for coronavirus (COVID-19). Now, asymptomatic patients who are preparing for surgery can be tested if testing is deemed necessary by the treating health care professional. It also includes asymptomatic people who have known exposure to someone who has COVID-19 symptoms or works in a profession that puts them at high risk of exposure. As we reopen Michigans economy, expanded testing is critically important so that we can track any spread of COVID-19 in regions or local communities, said Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, chief medical executive and chief deputy for health. Anyone who wishes to be tested may call the Michigan coronavirus hotline at 1-888-535-6136 or visit Michigan.gov/CoronavirusTest to find an appropriate testing location.

But the first so-called antigen test — announced Saturday by the Food and Drug Administration — is not quite the kind sought by top government health officials. WHY IS ANTIGEN TESTING IMPORTANT? The new test uses a nasal swab like other screening tests, and delivers results in about 15 minutes. OraSure Technologies has a $710,000 federal contract to develop a saliva-based antigen test that could be performed at home. The company has antigen tests for other viruses — including HIV and Ebola — and those have accuracy rates of over 95%.

DEARBORN, Mich. – Mayor John B. O’Reilly Jr., Police Chief Ronald Haddad and the Dearborn Fire Department worked together to get a new testing site in Dearborn up and running. After a lot of teamwork, they came up with the state’s first drive-thru rapid testing site. Inside is room for 200 first responders to stay if they test positive and don’t want to risk spreading the virus to their families. “The city of Dearborn has stepped up to provide not just for their city but for western Wayne County," Gilchrist said. Dearborn officials will continue to work on getting as many tests as they can to test as many first responders as they can.

DEARBORN, Mich. – The Michigan governor announced Tuesday a partnership with CVS Health to provide drive-through rapid COVID-19 testing in Dearborn. Gretchen Whitmer’s office, COVID-19 testing will be conducted in the parking lot of the Henry Ford Centennial Library -- 16301 Michigan Ave. -- at no cost to eligible Michiganders. Testing will be conducted using the new Abbot ID NOW™ COVID-19 test, which recently received emergency use authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the fastest detection of the virus. Patients are required to stay in their vehicles at the testing site. The testing process takes about 30 minutes from the collection of the swab to the delivery of results.

LANSING, Mich. – People with mild coronavirus (COVID-19) symptoms are now able to get tested. The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services is expanding testing criteria for coronavirus to include those with mild symptoms. MORE: What the CDC says you should do if you believe you have coronavirus (COVID-19)How COVID-19 SpreadsPerson-to-person spreadThe virus is thought to spread mainly from person-to-person. How easily the virus spreadsHow easily a virus spreads from person-to-person can vary. Some viruses are highly contagious (spread easily), like measles, while other viruses do not spread as easily.