We are currently in the midst of a third wave of COVID-19 across the United States, and of course Minnesota is not exempt. We know that one of the best ways to combat COVID-19 is to carry out testing. It's hard, after all, to mitigate a threat if you don't know where it is, and so it is more crucial now than ever for us and our communities to conduct and have access to accurate COVID-19 testing.

Marla Khan-Schwartz is a senior social worker who has been with Hennepin County for about 16 years. She is assisting in the county's COVID-19 response as co-lead on its Community Engagement Team under its Disease Mitigation Branch. Through her work, she is engaging diverse communities around COVID-19 testing events and up-to-date knowledge on testing. Khan-Schwartz joined The Current's Jill Riley for this week's Wellness Wednesday to talk about everything COVID-19 testing in Hennepin County.

Listen to the interview above, and read a transcript of the complete conversation below. Every Wednesday morning at 8:30 CST, Morning Show host Jill Riley connects with experts and local personalities for some real talk about keeping our minds and bodies healthy — from staying safe in the music scene, to exercising during a pandemic, to voting and civic engagement.

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Marla, thank you for joining me this morning.

Thank you for having me.

How is Hennepin County responding to COVID-19?

Hennepin County is collaborating with community partners to host free and safe COVID-19 community testing events. And we are specifically targeting our testing events in areas in Hennepin County where there are outbreaks or increasing cases or other barriers to access like transportation or insurance.

It seems as though we're at this point where a lot more people are being tested and the results are coming back a lot faster.

Yeah, that is true, and I think a lot of that has to do with the word getting around that being tested is important. I think trying to clear up misinformation that is being spread is also something that we at Hennepin County and Hennepin Healthcare, who collaborates with us, are trying to do. And by offering more community testing, I think that allows people to see that this is sort of more of a normal thing right now, where a lot of people are going, a lot of people are getting tested. We are offering community testing specifically because we believe that it will prevent people from getting sick and buy time until a vaccine is widely available, and hopefully slow the spread of COVID-19 as well.

Mm hm, so when you say, "community testing," can you just talk about, what exactly does that mean, "community testing"?

So, Hennepin County collaborates with Hennepin Healthcare, and we do have other community partners that will help us set up events around Hennepin County. And so, during the summertime and when the weather was more appropriate, we were able to have outdoor drive-thru or walk-up testing. And now that's it's getting colder out, we obviously want to keep our staff and everyone that works the testing events safe, and so we've moved things indoors. At places like churches, we just had an event at a church, we do allow anyone from the community, individuals or families, to attend these events. And so, anyone can get tested, and the testing is free.

Do I have to live in Hennepin County to get tested in Hennepin County?

No, you don't. So if you don't live in Hennepin County, we do have our website, which is hennepin.us/testing. And there you can find other entities that are doing testing. Minnesota Department of Health, we have a link for that on there, and you can tap into that and see what might be more convenient for you if you don't live in Hennepin County. So, we do have other resources on that website as well as where we are having upcoming testing events.

It sounds like just about anybody can come and get tested, but really who should be tested?

So, people should get tested if they have COVID-19 symptoms, or if you feel like you might've been exposed to someone who has had COVID-19. You can be asymptomatic, coronavirus is such an evolving disease, and it can manifest in so many different ways. And so, if you feel like you've been exposed or, for sure, certainly if you do have active symptoms that might fit the criteria of COVID-19, we encourage everybody to get tested.

Do I need health insurance? Do I need an ID? What do I need to bring?

If you have an insurance card, please bring that with you if you do have it. Even though the testing is free, if you are insured, we do take your information for the COVID test, and whatever is not covered by insurance, our collaborating partner Hennepin Healthcare is the guarantor for the remaining cost. So, you will not get a bill. And then, we just recommend that everybody brings a mask to the testing site.

Sure. Is Hennepin County doing the swab test? Is it saliva test? We're hearing so much more about saliva testing now.

So, Hennepin does the nasopharyngeal, which we call the "gold standard" of the test, and we also do an oropharyngeal test. We are working on different testing methods. However, as you were saying, there is a saliva testing site in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota that just opened up. Several opened up around the state, but Brooklyn Park just opened up their facility last week. And the great thing about saliva testing and this new innovation is that not only is it easier to perform, meaning you're spitting into a cup versus a swab, but it does not require a healthcare worker to administer the test because each person can spit into a cup on their own, independently. And so, we also know that we're having a supply issue with essential protective equipment for healthcare workers, and by being able to do a saliva test, it cuts down on the need for medical-grade masks, gowns, gloves, and other equipment.

So, that facility is now open in Brooklyn Park, and it's at the Starlite Center, which is the former OfficeMax building next to, I believe, Panda Garden Buffet, on 80th and Brooklyn Boulevard. And they are open, and, just a little bit more information about that, that saliva testing is free and available to all Minnesotans who believe that they need to be tested, with or without symptoms. And identification is not required. You do just need to have an email address and phone number, and insurance is not required. The test is free whether or not you have insurance, which is an amazing thing during this time. The only thing that needs to be taken into consideration as well is before someone would get a saliva test, you shouldn't eat, drink, chew or smoke anything for at least 30 minutes before taking a saliva test.

That's really good information, I had no idea! What are some misconceptions about the nasal swab that maybe we can clear up for people? Because I don't want anyone to not get tested because they're freaked out about the nasal swab.

Well and as far as discomfort, I wouldn't discount that some people find it uncomfortable. People's nasal swab experience varies, and some people do find it uncomfortable, but most people get through the experience just fine. If nasal swab access or discomfort is an issue, we have a number of good options including our newer saliva testing site.

Marla, I appreciate you taking the time to talk with us on Wellness Wednesday, and thanks for the work you do.

Absolutely! [We'll have a testing event] Friday, November 20, and that will be held at the Brooklyn Park Islamic Center, which is in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, 2100 93rd Way. And this is also a walk-up event and indoors. And we are partnering with one of our trusted messengers, Minnesota Africans United, as well as Hennepin Healthcare, and interpreters will be available. We haven't established the times, but again if you go to hennepin.us/testing, you will find those times within the next week or so.

Alright, so keep an eye on that website for some updates. Marla, I appreciate your time this morning.

Absolutely, thank you so much, Jill.

For more information about Hennepin County's COVID-19 response, visit hennepin.us/testing. To learn more about COVID-19 testing in Minnesota more broadly, check out the Minnesota Department of Health's website. And for national COVID-19 updates, visit the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention's coronavirus page.