Starting Monday, Cody Regional Health says it will no longer be able to offer rapid, drive-thru testing for COVID-19 to the general public.

“We have stopped receiving our supply of rapid tests from the state and need to reserve what we have left for our front-line staff and surgical patients,” Cody Regional Health Laboratory Director Jeanine Brus said in a Friday news release.

The organization will continue to offer drive-thru testing through Curative Lab, in which saliva samples are sent to the company and the results emailed to patients, usually within 48-72 hours.

CRH’s drive-thru testing will be closed on Thursday, Dec. 24 and Thursday, Dec. 31 for Christmas and New Year’s Eve. Starting in January, drive-thru testing will be available from 8-11 a.m. on Tuesday and Thursday, or until tests run out.

“We are doing our best to keep drive-thru testing available,” said Keith Ungrund, chief clinical officer at CRH. “However, in order to continue offering the best possible care we can at our campus locations, we need to cut our hours back so we do not deplete our team.”

The State of Wyoming has made free, at-home COVID-19 testing available to Wyoming residents as another alternative. The saliva tests are collected during a supervised, online telehealth visit with a Vault Health test supervisor, which requires an internet connection. Results are reported within 48 hours of when your sample arrives at the lab.

To take advantage of the free testing, visit www.vaulthealth.com/covid and order a collection kit. The $150 testing fee is waived for all kits shipped to a Wyoming address.

Cody Regional Health official say they hope the Vault tests can “ease the burden on [Cody’s] drive-thru testing, respiratory clinic and emergency room.”

Patients experiencing COVID-19 symptoms including shortness of breath, chest pain, palpitations or other, more serious symptoms are advised to go to the closest ER or call 911.

As COVID-19 cases rise statewide, CRH officials are continuing “to strongly recommend the use of masks in public settings where it is not possible or reasonable to stay physically apart” and are stressing “the importance of staying home when ill.”