BINGHAMTON, NY (WSKG) — This week, many counties across New York’s Southern Tier rolled out online portals for residents to report COVID-19 home test results. Residents who test positive can also get isolation and quarantine orders to give to their employers.
This coincides with the announcement that most county health departments will be shifting away from contact tracing, due to the winter surge in COVID cases and the highly contagious omicron variant.
Chemung County Public Health Director Pete Buzzetti said with such high case numbers, there has been a backlog of cases to investigate. Some residents have waited more than a week to hear from the health department.
“And now with the five-day isolation period, we don't want to leave people hanging to get this paperwork, so to get back to work, so that kids can get back to school,” Buzzetti said.
With the online tool, residents can go to the Chemung County website and easily fill out a form to receive the necessary paperwork. Buzzetti said Chemung County’s portal works on mobile devices and is HIPPA compliant.
Buzzetti said residents will be asked what kind of COVID test they used, and whether they are experiencing symptoms. They will also need to upload a picture of their positive test results.
Afterwards, people will get an email with their isolation paperwork and further instructions. Buzzetti said to call the health department if you need help with the form, or if you don’t have access to the internet.
Broome County Public Health Director Mary McFadden said the county'sonline forms are simple and easy to use.
“They get everything done, they get an automatic isolation notice and then they will get an automatic release generated if they're feeling better, and everything is the way it should be in five days,” McFadden said.
The whole process should take roughly five to seven minutes. People who test positive using home tests, or at the Broome County rapid testing site should make sure to report their results.
She said above all, residents should continue to stay home if they are sick, whether they use the portal or not.
Negative tests do not need to be reported. Each county has its own portal, so residents should go to their county’s website to fill out their forms and report their results.
Click your county to access its COVID-19 self-reporting portal and isolation order documentation:
- Broome County
- Chemung County
- Chenango County
- Steuben County
- Delaware County (at-home tests only)
- Tioga County (at-home tests only)