COVID-19 testing sign-up now available online as national vaccine rollout lagging

With the distribution of COVID-19 vaccines off to a slow start nationally and the first U.S. case of a more-transmissible strain of the disease being reported in Colorado, local public and private health officials are stepping up testing to try to keep ahead of the virus in Eagle County.

So far, there have been 3,332 confirmed cases of the disease locally, with 101 hospitalizations and 14 deaths as of Wednesday, Dec. 30. Here’s a press release from Vail Health on a new online system to sign up for testing:

COVID-19 testing appointments available online

Vail, CO (Dec. 30, 2020) ― Vail Health and Colorado Mountain Medical have revamped its scheduling process for all COVID-19 testing sites, providing easier, more convenient options for patients. For patients seeking a COVID-19 test without seeing a provider, self-scheduling is available online at www.vailhealth.org/covidscheduling. 

Patients are able to schedule an appointment at one of the four testing locations: Avon, Vail, Gypsum and Breckenridge. Testing requests are no longer being accepted via email. Please note, tests are available for those ages five years and older. 

“Our goal in creating this new online patient appointment portal is to allow patients more efficient methods of booking an appointment, while also allowing our staff the ability to focus more on patient care and experience,” said Shaneis Kehoe, Director of Acute Care and Population Health Management at Vail Health. “Overall, we hope this streamlines the process for our patients and provides them with more control in booking a convenient testing appointment. Testing remains critical in slowing the spread of COVID-19 in our mountain communities and managing through this pandemic.”  

For additional information regarding COVID-19 testing in Eagle or Summit County, please visit https://www.vailhealth.org/covid-19/testing.

And here’s the state of Colorado’s press release on a confirmed Colorado case of COVID-19 variant B.1.1.7:

Polis announces first case of variant of COVID-19 in Colorado

DENVER – Tuesday, Dec. 29, Gov. Polis and state health officials announced Colorado’s first case of the of COVID-19 variant B.1.1.7, the same variant discovered in the UK. 

The Colorado State Laboratory confirmed and notified the Center for Disease Control (CDC) of the case. The individual is a male in his 20s who is currently in isolation in Elbert County and has no travel history. 

Public health officials are doing a thorough investigation. The individual is recovering in isolation and will remain there until cleared by public health officials. The individual has no close contacts identified so far, but public health officials are working to identify other potential cases and contacts through thorough contact tracing interviews.

“There is a lot we don’t know about this new COVID-19 variant, but scientists in the United Kingdom are warning the world that it is significantly more contagious. The health and safety of Coloradans is our top priority and we will closely monitor this case, as well as all COVID-19 indicators, very closely. We are working to prevent spread and contain the virus at all levels,” said Governor Jared Polis. “I want to thank our scientists and dedicated medical professionals for their swift work and ask Coloradans to continue our efforts to prevent disease transmission by wearing masks, standing six feet apart when gathering with others, and only interacting with members of their immediate household.”

The Colorado state lab was the first in the country to quickly identify the variant through sophisticated analysis of testing samples. The lab initially performed the diagnostic PCR test on the sample and found that the sample was positive for COVID-19 with strong signals for the N gene and ORF1ab (both are detected when a person has COVID-19), but the signal for the S gene was not detected. When the S gene doesn’t register in the testing, it is called an “S Drop Out Profile,” and it is considered an essential signature for the variant. The sample was flagged for further investigation. Scientists then sequenced the viral genome from the patient sample and found eight mutations specific to the spike protein gene associated with this variant. Genome sequencing is a molecular profiling of the entire viral RNA sequence.

Scientists in the United Kingdom believe the B.1.1.7 variant to be more contagious than previously identified strains of the SARS-CoV-2 variant, though no more severe in symptoms. In addition, the currently approved vaccines are thought to be effective against this variant. 

“The fact that Colorado has detected this virant first in the nation is a testament to the sophistication of Colorado’s response and the talent of CDPHE’s scientist and lab operations,” said Jill Hunsaker Ryan, executive director, Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. “We are currently using all the tools available to protect public health and mitigate the spread of this variant.”