UW Employees, Students Encouraged to Receive COVID-19 Test if They Are Sick

Members of the University of Wyoming community are encouraged to be tested for the novel coronavirus COVID-19, if they are exhibiting symptoms of the infection.

Albany County public health officials note that there now is capacity at local health care facilities to conduct such testing. Previously, testing generally had been limited to those showing symptoms who’d had contact with someone who tested positive for COVID-19 -- or those who were extremely ill.

The symptoms include cough; shortness of breath or difficulty breathing; fever; chills; muscle pain; sore throat; and loss of taste or smell.

Testing should be done by appointment with local health care providers, rather than by drop-in visits. UW’s employee health care insurer, Cigna, covers out-of-pocket costs associated with testing through May.

UW’s Student Health Service remains open and available to all eligible UW students. For students with symptoms of concern, the clinic can perform COVID-19 testing using nasopharyngeal swab tests, which are sent to the Wyoming Department of Health. The clinic provides telehealth visits to students physically located in the state of Wyoming for whom a telehealth visit is appropriate, and can provide limited phone consultations to students out of state. The clinic also sees students for visits that require in-person evaluation or treatment. There is no charge for office visits with the clinic’s medical providers or nursing staff, including telehealth or phone visits.

Students should call for appointments. Student Health Service is open Monday-Friday from 8 a.m.-noon and 1-5 p.m. Students who have health concerns outside of regular business hours are asked to call the front office number, (307) 766-2130, and select the after-hours nurse line option for further evaluation and care recommendations.

UW employees and students are encouraged to observe Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines to protect themselves and others. These include avoiding close contact; washing your hands often; covering your mouth or nose with a cloth face cover when around others; and cleaning and disinfecting frequently touched surfaces.

To date, there have been eight confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Albany County, but there are no known connections with UW.