In Connecticut, COVID-19 cases are on the rise. According to the CDC, Connecticut has had 42.1 cases per 100,000 in the last seven days. New London county itself holds a 5.3% of the state’s total cases. 

With the spread of the virus growing, it is important to get tested. If there is a chance you’ve been exposed, you are travelling, or you have any symptoms, it is important to know if you are positive or negative, so that you can take the necessary precautions. There are many different ways to get tested, but the most common is the rapid test. The rapid test uses a mucus sample and is analyzed at a clinic or doctor’s office.

I went to get my test on November 11th at the New London Community Health Center. The Community Health Center is open from 8am to 4pm during week days to test Connecticut residents. 

We arrived at the start of the line at 11:16 am on Wednesday morning. The test center iset up so the cars line up, going from the front of the test center and looping around to go all the way to Howard Street. While waiting in your car an employee will give you a form for each person getting tested. This form is to collect your basic information, including your birthday, email, and phone number. We received the forms about a half way into our wait, and were collected not too long after. 

We finally got to where they were testing at about 12:45. Our car pulled up in front of the nurses with help from other employees who were directing the cars. The nurses ask for your name and birthdate so they can match the test to your information. The test is all done from the car, we only had to roll down our windows. The test itself does not take long at all, a long swab is inserted into each nostril. In my case it was inserted into one nostril and swabbed, then it is then inserted into the other and it pushed deeper. It is quick and easy, no pain, just a small bit of discomfort as the swab is pushed to the back of your nose. And that’s it. Our results came later on via email a couple days later. 

The FDA is continuing to work to make testing more available. The best way to find where to get tested is to talk to your health care provider or visit the CDC site. The New London Community Health Center is the closest to Waterford with the most accurate results.

https://www.fda.gov/consumers/consumer-updates/coronavirus-disease-2019-testing-basics

https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#cases_casesper100klast7days

https://www.chc1.com/locations/new-london/