Keene, NH - New sign-up method for PCR testing

Covid-19 cases continue to surge in NH, which now has the 7th-highest case rate of all 50 states. (Yet no mask mandate or other measures from the governor, but that's another story.) Now at 50 cases per day per 100,000 residents, it is close to the all-time high.

We have had excellent PCR testing via the Keene hospital, and I expect that to continue. However, they must have been getting overwhelmed with calls to set up testing, as now they pretty much make you register on line. You have to have a myDH patient portal account, and use that to sign up for a test.

I did this yesterday, and got a testing time for this morning. Once I found the spot, it was straightforward. There was a choice about billing my insurance or not--I checked "not" and went on from there. The actual testing continues to be via saliva, which is easy and painless.

If you can't do the online sign-up for some reason, you can do it by phone but they have changed the phone number. It's now 603-354-5454 which gets you to a robot, then you select extension 6700 to wait for a scheduling nurse.

By the way, according to folks at the hospital, the correct timing for when to get a test, assuming you have no symptoms, is 5-6 days after exposure, or possible exposure. (I got a test because last week I had electricians in the basement all day, putting in a 200-amp electrical panel to get ready for a heat pump installation.) If you're vaccinated, you have a high probability of being able to be infected without any symptoms, so getting tested is the best way to be sure you won't inadvertently pass it on to your family and co-workers.