Curative van known as 'Western Garfield free COVID testing' to utilize nasal swab testing for symptomatic people only

PRESS RELEASE
January 22, 2021

The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) announced earlier this week that it will no longer use Curative testing for residential facilities, due to concerns regarding test accuracy.

Garfield County utilizes a Curative mobile van listed on the Garfield County testing site as the “Western Garfield free COVID testing,” that travels weekly to New Castle on Sundays and to Parachute and Rifle on Mondays.

The state raised concerns that the “oral swab” Curative tests were yielding false negative results. In light of this issue, the mobile van traveling to Garfield County has secured “nasal swab” tests, which are more accurate, to use in tests with symptomatic patients at the Curative mobile testing sites.

Asymptomatic people may also receive false negative results. This is because the type of test that Curative uses is not sensitive enough to detect COVID-19 in asymptomatic people. If you are concerned that you have been exposed to COVID-19 and may be asymptomatic, use any of the other testing providers in Garfield County listed on the COVID-19 testing site; which includes primary care doctor’s offices and the Roaring Fork COVID testing sites.

There are no additional safety concerns with Curative testing.

A list of COVID-19 testing sites in Garfield County can be found on the Garfield County COVID-19 testing site.