COVID Testing

Frequently Asked Questions - Testing

How do I get a COVID test?

Churchill County is currently offering free, drive-through COVID tests at the fairgrounds on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Testing days and times are Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 10:30 a.m. to noon (drop-ins welcome from 10:30-11 a.m.) and Tuesday from 3:30 to 5 p.m. (drop-ins welcome from 3:30-4:30 p.m.) at the Churchill County fairgrounds on Sheckler. 

Use one of these three ways to get tested:

• Download the testing intake form, fill it out and email it back to the County Health Department. YOu will receive a date and time to go to fairgrounds to be tested. OR:
• Preregister for your test time by calling (775)423-6695, option 2, and leaving your name and number. Staff will return the call to set your appointment time. OR:
• Show up at the fairgrounds without an appointment at the times listed above. Expect to stay a little longer to fill out the paperwork.

When will I get my test results back?

Churchill County sends its tests to the Nevada State Health Lab at UNR in Reno. Due to the high volume of tests being done at that lab, results can take up to 7 days to be returned to the county. County staff will contact you with your results when they come in.

I don’t want to wait a week to get my results back. Are there other entities offering testing?

Local doctors’ offices and pharmacies and the Renown Urgent Care Clinic also provide COVID testing.

How will I know if my test results are positive or negative?

County staff are calling everyone who tests at the fairgrounds with their results, whether they are positive or negative.

What if I am positive?

County staff will call you with the results of your test and if it is positive, they will have further instructions for you on how to safely quarantine yourself. Resources are available through the county to help will groceries and other necessities.

If I test positive, can I retest after my quarantine is over to be cleared for work?

Per State of Nevada guidelines, Churchill County cannot retest people who initially test positive for 90 days from the date of their positive test. 

My employer requires a negative test result to return to work. How do I get one? 

Per state guidelines Churchill County cannot retest within 90 days of an initial positive test. You may take your initial quarantine letter provided by the county, which has an end date for quarantine, to your employer as proof of your release. Churchill County urges business to obtain return-to-work policy guidance on allowing employees to return to work from the Nevada State Business and Industry Department.

People from other communities are coming here to get tested. Are their results being counted in Churchill County numbers?

No. We verify Churchill County residency before we count test results in our numbers. For those living outside Churchill but testing here, we transfer the case and their results to the county of their residence.

Where are the COVID cases concentrated in our county? Are there hotspots?

The county will not provide location data on COVID cases for privacy reasons and to avoid violating the health privacy laws.

When is someone considered recovered from COVID?

Current medical recommendations are that someone is considered recovered from COVID 10 days out: 

• From the date of the positive test or symptom on-set and
• Is symptom-free and not using fever-reducing medications for a minimum of 24 hours and 
• If they haven’t been hospitalized or otherwise have symptoms/complications.

Will I get a call from the county to check on me during quarantine or after testing positive?

Prior to October 20, 2020 we did do follow-up calls on all patients assigned to Churchill County, but due to the current high demand and increase in patients, it is no longer feasible. We are sad to say that we do not have the capacity to call each patient daily or at recovery as we would like. 

The State has revised guidance on contact tracing to allow for further communications with patients that are in need of further follow-up, outbreak investigation and monitoring, but the demand still is higher than previous months. 

We are always working to assist the community to the best of our ability and if anyone is identified as in need of a higher level of care we work to accommodate those needs through our outreach team.

Will the county be providing the COVID vaccine when it is available?

Churchill County has started the process of vaccinating healthcare workers and first responders according to federally- and state-mandated priorities for receiving that COVID vaccine. Further eligible populations will be released as approved by the State of Nevada. 

Where do I get a flu vaccine?

Flu vaccines are also available from most local pharmacies here in Fallon.

Why do COVID reporting numbers fluctuate so much between agencies? How do I know who to believe?

Churchill County sends its fairgrounds test samples to the Nevada State Health Lab in Reno and we receive test results and numbers back directly from that lab. We post test results to our website: www.churchillcountynv.gov/covid-19 and Facebook and Twitter accounts as we receive them. Other testing agencies may use other test facilities (private labs like Quest, etc.) for their test samples. 

Differences in agency reporting numbers can be due to backlogs, time to turnaround tests, staffing shortages, reporting turnaround and any other number of reasons. 

The important take away is that no matter the stats you look at, our local numbers are rising and we need to take seriously all public health precautions such as wearing a mask while in public, maintaining social distancing and frequent hand washing to keep our family, friends and community as safe as possible.