SAN ANGELO, Texas — The City of San Angelo's Public Information Office continues to update citizens on the latest news and information regarding COVID-19.
Here are the updates, as of 9 a.m. Wednesday, March 25.
Shannon Medical Center
Shannon now has two sites in San Angelo for drive-thru COVID-19 screening and testing. The first site is at the corner of Beauregard Avenue and Oakes Street.
The second site is in the Foster Field baseball stadium parking lot at South Jackson Street and University Avenue. Both sites are available from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Patients will first be evaluated in their vehicle by a medical provider. If the provider determines the patient may have COVID-19, according to the criteria set by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the patient will then be tested on site.
Personnel will collect the necessary samples to send off for the test. The patient will then receive instructions regarding self-quarantine and next steps they must take until test results are returned.
Cost is $25 for the screening and $55 for a COVID-19 test, if required, or Shannon will bill the patient's medical insurance. Patients who have been screened at another location, may come to the site for testing with a provider's order.
For more information about screening or testing, call 844-674-2666.
Vitalant
Vitalant is in desperate need of blood donations.
The CDC encourages people who are well to continue to donate blood as it is an essential activity, even amidst COVID-19 response measures.
ASU-SBDC
Small Businesses Already Feeling Huge Drop in Demand Due to Coronavirus (COVID-19), New Study Shows
Washington, D.C. - A just released national study found that 69 percent of U.S. small businesses have already experienced a large drop in demand due to the coronavirus pandemic and 60 percent believe demand will continue to decline. The study of small businesses by America's Small Business Development Centers (SBDC) and Thryv Inc., found that 82 percent of small businesses are "extremely concerned" about the current business environment in light of the COVID-19 outbreak.
Additionally, the study uncovered impacts on the labor market and employment trends. In fact, 64 percent of the small businesses studied indicated employee hours have been cut and 22 percent said they had not been cut yet but they expect to do so. From a supply chain perspective, 74 percent of small businesses indicated that they or their suppliers have seen disruptions in their supply chain.
"Small businesses across America are feeling the pain of the coronavirus pandemic," said Gordon Henry, Chief Strategy Officer at Thryv®. "They are seeing demand plummet and are unable to stock their shelves due to supply chain disruptions. As a result, they are having to cut employee hours to stay operable."
These are just several data points from the joint study by Thryv, Inc. - a SaaS and marketing solutions company with over 350,000 small business clients nationwide - and America's SBDC conducted among small businesses across the country this past Friday. The research supports the integral role small businesses play and the value they bring to the economy. Both America's SBDC and Thryv Inc. have a long history of working with small businesses.
Charles "Tee" Rowe, President & CEO at America's SBDC noted, "One-third of the study respondents said they were likely to apply for an SBA loan and another 18 percent said they didn't realize these were available. SBDCs can provide insight and expertise on what options are available and how to maneuver through the loan process, connecting local business owners with the right resources in these difficult times."
The study indicated 60 percent of respondents have delayed or cancelled plans for new investments, loans and expansions in light of the pandemic.
"At Thryv, we help small businesses stay in touch with their customers using software on their smartphones," Henry said. "During this crisis, we're waiving startup fees so businesses can use the software to stay afloat."
The study was conducted on March 20 through March 23 among more than 850 small businesses, with a margin of error +/- 3.5 percent. America's SBDC and Thryv will continue to gather data from SMBs over the next four to eight weeks.
For full study results, email alan.traverse@thryv.com.
For more information about how SBDCs are responding and helping to small businesses in need during the COVID-19 pandemic, visit our webpage here.
