Seven facilities in Venango County have received an allotment of COVID-19 antigen tests.
An unspecified number of tests went to The Caring Place, Oakwood Heights of Presbyterian Seniorcare, Oil City Healthcare and Rehabilitation, Oil City Senior Living, Polk Center, Sugar Creek Station and the UPMC Northwest Transitional Care Unit.
Venango County was one of 30 counties in the state to receive a portion of the 1,175,520 antigen tests from the federal government distributed by the state over six weeks, according to a press release from the Pennsylvania Department of Health.
The tests are distributed directly to certified facilities including long-term care facilities, higher-education institutions, drug and alcohol and behavioral health treatment centers, state and county correctional facilities, healthcare providers, federally qualified health centers, urgent care centers, pharmacies and primary care doctors, the press release said.
Those targeted to be tested with the government distributed tests include individuals in congregate care settings, day care workers or clients, K-12 students and adults who work in K-12 settings, college and university students, individuals without permanent housing, food distribution facility employees, food workers and first responders, according to the press release.
The press release said the antigen tests are a means of receiving rapid COVID-19 testing.
“The department anticipates receiving hundreds of thousands of tests over a number of weeks from the federal government. The department will continue to provide kits to counties in need,” the release said.
