COVID-19 Testing
The Gallatin City-County Health Department is offering FREE COVID-19 Antigen testing on Friday evenings and Saturdays.
Bozeman Health and MSU also provide testing locations. See below for details.
This is a drive-through, self-swabbing testing site and there is no need for an appointment. Please review the test directions here.
If you are seeking a COVID-19 test for travel, please visit the Bozeman Health COVID-19 information page for further details.
**Masks are required at this testing station. If you do not have a mask, one will be provided for you.**
**PLEASE LEAVE ALL PETS AT HOME**
This is for the safety of our staff!
Location: Gallatin County Fairgrounds – please enter using the Tamarack & Bozeman entrance, just west of the Search & Rescue building.
Hours:
- Friday from 5 to 8 p.m.
- Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
This testing site is currently only for:
- SYMPTOMATIC people
- Those in QUARANTINE seeking a test at 5-7 days post exposure
- VACCINATED close contacts seeking a test at 5-7 days post exposure
Travel tests are NOT available.
The testing site will be using a smartphone app called NAVICA. It is recommended that you download the app and create a profile prior to arriving at the testing site.
Don’t have a smartphone? No problem, you can download this consent form now and bring it with you, or you can fill this out when you arrive.
¿No tienes un teléfono inteligente? No hay problema, puede descargar este formulario de consentimiento ahora y traerlo con usted, o puede completarlo cuando llegue.
PLEASE NOTE THE FOLLOWING:
- This testing site CANNOT be used for travel tests.
- You may still need to show a negative PCR test for some instances. This location does not provide this kind of test. Click here to read about the differences between Antigen and PCR tests.
- Testing takes approximately 20 minutes including swab and wait time after. Waiting to get swabbed may take longer.
- If you are symptomatic, but receive a negative antigen result, please talk with your primary care provider and consider taking a PCR test to confirm the negative results. If a PCR test is not available, you may retest with an antigen test 36 hours after your first negative antigen test.
Testing Instructions
- Children must be swabbed by an adult, especially those under 15 years of age.
- Gently insert the entire soft tip of the swab into the first nostril until you feel a bit of resistance.
- Insert less than 1 inch into the nostril for adults and less than 1/2 an inch for younger children.
- Using medium pressure, rub the swab slowly in a circular motion around the inside wall of your nostril five times.
- The swab tip should be touching the inside wall of the nostril through each rotation.
- Repeat the same process with the same swab in the other nostril.
For the most up-to-date information on COVID-19 testing at Bozeman Health sites, visit the Bozeman Health COVID-19 information page.
COVID-19 tests are available at the following Bozeman Health care sites. Provider order for travel/return to work testing is required. We recommend getting your travel test 48 to 72 hours before your flight or travel plans. As of September 3, 2021, due to demand, individuals should expect up to at least 72 hours for COVID-19 test results.
Test results are easily accessed via your MyChart account or MyChart app. If you do not have a MyChart account, one of our team members can assist you when you arrive at one of our care sites for your travel test.
Patients with COVID-19 symptoms should contact their primary care provider’s office or go to:
- b2 UrgentCare Main Street
- Belgrade Clinic + UrgentCare
- b2 MicroCare
- Big Sky Medical Center drive-thru
Patients that have been exposed to COVID-19, yet do not have symptoms:
- b2 UrgentCare Main Street
- Belgrade Clinic + UrgentCare
- b2 MicroCare
- Big Sky Medical Center Drive-Thru
For patients with an upcoming surgery/procedure, they will need to be directed to Deaconess Hospital entrance 3 to the outpatient lab for their COVID-19 test 48 hours prior to their surgery/procedure.
For the most up-to-date information, please visit the MSU Testing webpage.
Testing is available on weekdays for students who are
- showing symptoms of COVID-19 or
- in quarantine and seeking a test on their fifth day so they can released from quarantine on day seven.
Drive-through and walk-through options are available, with no referral or appointment needed.
Hours:
- Monday – Thursday: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
- Fridays: 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. (state courier picks up at 3:15 on Fridays).
- Most people have mild illness and are able to recover at home. Follow the self-isolation guidelines if you are sick.
- There is no treatment specifically approved for this virus.
- Testing results may be helpful to inform decisions about who you came in contact with before your symptoms presented and once you felt ill.
If you are experiencing COVID-19 symptoms (including, but not limited to: fever, cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing), self-isolate and call your healthcare provider, Urgent Care, or Viral Triage Clinic. Once you have a test order, you can visit a testing location (see above). You should continue to self-isolate while awaiting your test results.
Seek medical attention immediately if you develop severe symptoms, such as:
- Severe shortness of breath
- Continuous pain or pressure in the chest
- Persistent fever greater than 102°F
If at any time you feel like you are having a medical emergency, please call 9-1-1.
There are multiple testing sites available throughout the county. Please see the testing site locations and times above.
You can get tested if your are a close contact, even if you do not show symptoms or if you’ve been vaccinated. See above for testing, note when and where asymptomatic testing is done.
Visit the CDC for up to date information on COVID-19 symptoms. You can also complete the CDC’s coronavirus self-checker to help you make decisions on when to seek testing and medical care.
As always, please consult with your healthcare provider to determine the best option for you.
If you receive a negative test result (from either a molecular test [i.e. PCR] or a rapid antigen test), this means that the test did not detect virus at the time that the test was taken.
If you have been identified as a close contact to a person with COVID-19, please follow our quarantine guidance. You may still be infected but it was too early for your test to be positive.
If you received an antibody test, a negative result means that the test did not detect antibodies to the COVID-19 virus and you may have never had COVID-19. The virus that causes COVID-19 is new and what we know about it changes rapidly. Visit the CDC for current and up to date information on COVID-19 antibody tests.