URBANA, Ill. (WAND) - Carle Foundation Hospital will start further screening emergency room patients for coronavirus.
The News Gazette reports it is part of a new sentinel surveillance program.
There are some possible Champaign County coronavirus cases currently under investigation by the Illinois Department of Public Health.
Carle will use oral or nasal swab samples of people who come to the emergency room with flu symptoms, but test negative for influenza.
Symptoms for both coronavirus and the flu include coughing, fever and body aches.
Every week, the News Gazette reports the first 20 negative influenza tests done on emergency-room patients will be sent to a state testing site in Springfield to be tested for coronavirus.
The sampling will only include tests done at the Carle ER, not Carle provider sites.
The sentinel surveillance testing for coronavirus is being done without charge to the patients.
Patients will not be told if their tests are selected for the random coronavirus testing, but will be informed if they test positive.
