Respiratory Virus Testing

I’m having cold, flu, or COVID symptoms. What should I do?

One Community Health provides at-home COVID-19 tests free of charge at our clinics, while supplies remain available.

Stop by any of our clinics to pick tests up for you and your family. Check availability by calling 541.386.6380 for Hood River and The Dalles locations, 509.493.2133 for White Salmon, and 509.427.4212 for Stevenson.

If you are having respiratory virus symptoms like coughing, a sore throat, headache, or nausea, call or text One Community Health to speak with a nurse or provider. We can provide testing and treatment as appropriate after the provider's assessment.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • If you are having any COVID-19 symptoms you should be tested for COVID-19 as soon as possible. Do not assume you “just have a cold”.

    If you are having respiratory virus symptoms like coughing, a sore throat, headache, or nausea, call or text One Community Health to speak with a nurse or provider. We can provide testing and treatment as appropriate after the provider's assessment.

    If you are unable to access a test or assessment, you should assume that you have COVID-19 and follow the CDC’s guidelines for respiratory illnesses. If you have have respiratory symptoms, please wear a well-fitted mask and limit your contact with other people.

    If you are experiencing serious symptoms call 911 immediately.

  • Call or text us at 541.386.6380 for Oregon clinics, 509.493.2133 for White Salmon, and 509.427.4212 for Stevenson. All tests are by appointment only.

  • At-home tests are almost as accurate as a test that you would get in the clinic. Most importantly, you have a very, very low chance of having a false positive result from an at-home test. There have been instances of a false negative result, meaning you test negative but you actually do have COVID-19. For this reason, if you have COVID-19 symptoms it is very important that you still assume you have COVID-19 and follow the CDC's recommendations. If you do have symptoms and a negative result, repeat testing at least 2 more times over 3 days, with 48 hours between tests.

  • No. At-home tests are accurate enough that you do not need to confirm you have COVID-19 with a test in the clinic. False positive tests are very, very rare. Please assume you have COVID-19 and follow the CDC guidelines.

  • It may not be clear if your at-home test kit is really expired. Although each box has a date, many brands have received extensions from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Extending a product’s shelf-life is not uncommon practice and happens when manufacturers demonstrate that a product still performs effectively after the initial expiration date.

    To check if your test kit is really expired you can visit the manufacturer or the FDA website and look for your test-kit lot number.

    FDA Website for expiration date extensions for all brands: HERE

  • Most insurance companies cover the cost of a test for medical reasons, but you should always contact your insurance company to confirm benefits. OCH offers free at-home test kits in all of our clinics as supplies allow.

  • To remain accurate an at-home test might need to be kept from getting too cold or too hot. Check the box label for that test's requirements.

Accessing Covid Test Results in MyChart