Where do I find a COVID test site in Houston? - Houston Chronicle

Posted: 16 Jul 2020 09:35 AM PDT

One of the questions most-searched on Google these days is "where to get tested for COVID-19 near me."

It can be difficult to figure out when and where you can get tested for the coronavirus with the vast number of providers offering tests across the region. As of July 15, there are more than 240 sites administering coronavirus diagnostic and antibody tests within 100 miles of downtown Houston, according to the Texas Division of Emergency Management.

Here's where you can get tested for COVID-19 in the Greater Houston area.

The two types of tests

COVID-19 diagnostic tests determine whether you currently have the virus. A trained medical professional uses a long to reach deep within your nostril, collecting mucus from the top of the throat. Some sites will provide saliva-based tests, which so far seem to be accurate, according to researchers at the University of Chicago.

You qualify to take a COVID-19 diagnostic test at most places as long as you fall under the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines for testing priorities. That means you've shown symptoms such as loss of taste or smell, fever, cough, shortness of breath, chills, sore throat, muscle pain, vomiting, and/or diarrhea, or your doctor or a public health official has asked you to get tested.

A few test sites will test you if you have been exposed to someone who was diagnosed with the virus.

COVID-19 antibody tests look at whether you've had the virus. After drawing a blood sample, clinicians look for proteins produced to fight off COVID-19. The antibodies are in your blood for several weeks after recovering from COVID-19, but don't tell you if you're currently infected, according to the CDC.

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People are taking antibody tests to see if they can donate plasma to treat current coronavirus patients, or to see if they may have been previously infected.

Genalyte, a San Diego, Calif.-based diagnostics company, is doing antibody testing at the Toyota Center. Testing is available for the next two weeks, with the possibility of an extension, according to Genalyte. Some private hospitals and clinics also offer this test.

Health insurers, including private and government-subsidized insurance, generally pay for the cost of a diagnostic test as long as your doctor deems it medically necessary. The Texas Department of Insurance recommends calling your primary care physician to order a test, and avoiding private hospitals or emergency rooms if it's not urgent.

Test results can take some time to get back; Quest Diagnostics, a private lab company processing 125,000 test kits daily, said in a statement that hospital patients and symptomatic health care workers are receiving results in just over a day, while everyone else can expect results in seven or more days.

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I'm Gwendolyn Wu, and I'm writing "Houston How To," a series on how to navigate the city and its complexities. Humans have an innate drive to improve themselves, and we're always striving to live better, smarter and more efficiently by throwing countless dollars and hours at our problems. The Houston Chronicle wants to simplify that for you.

As a reporter, I usually ask the questions, but I can't be the only one wondering how something works. What are things you need to know how to do, Houston? You can find me on Twitter at @gwendolynawu or by email at gwendolyn.wu@chron.com.

Government-run testing sites

There are several options for city and county-run testing sites in Harris County. The city manages two large test stadiums: Butler Stadium and Delmar Stadium.

Each site can process 650 tests a day. To get an appointment, call the city at 832-393-4220 to get a code for same-day testing. If they run out of codes for the day, you'll have to try again the next morning. Most days, the city sites finish testing by the early afternoon, said Scott Packard, a Houston Health Department spokesman.

The city also sets up mobile test sites travel to at-risk neighborhoods in Houston and administer the tests. A schedule of mobile test sites is available on the Houston Health Department website.

Test results come from a federal contractor, and wait times have recently shot up from within five days to more than a week.

City test sites are open to everyone regardless of symptoms or testing priority at this time.

"While we still generally encourage people to go to their medical provider, we recognize COVID-19 testing is not always widely offered by medical providers," Packard said. "Our sites and partner sites are an option for everyone."

Harris County Public Health and the Texas Division of Emergency Management also operate a number of sites within the county. People looking to get tested at Harris County Public Health sites, which usually reach capacity in the mornings or early afternoons, must take the online COVID-19 self-assessment. To get a test at a TDEM site, patients must make an appointment online at texas.curativeinc.com.

For now, these test sites are partially run with federal help. Gov. Greg Abbott announced last week that U.S. government support for test sites in Texas has been extended to July 31. As of late June, the federal government had sent Houston $73 million in relief funds to cover the costs of the sites in the future, according to Assistant U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Brett Giroir.

Retail clinics

Can't get an appointment at one of the city sites? There's always your neighborhood drugstore or big-box retailer. CVS Health, Walgreens and Walmart have also gotten into the COVID-19 testing space.

As of the week of July 13, there are 16 CVS Health drive-thru testing sites in Houston and more than 20 others in the Greater Houston region. Walgreens has also opened COVID-19 test sites in the parking lots of two stores in Harris County.

Test costs should be covered by your insurer, or by the federal program funding tests for uninsured people across the country.

"The increase in cases of COVID-19 in certain areas of the country is causing extremely high demand for tests across the board," said Monica Prinzing, a CVS Health spokesperson.

The kits are going to independent, third-party labs for diagnosis. At CVS Health, it can take an average of 6-10 days for processing right now, and as coronavirus rates soar, those wait times could be longer, Prinzing said.

Walgreens did not respond to requests for comment on how long test results take.

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Walmart operates 18 drive-thru testing sites in the Greater Houston region at no-cost to the person getting tested. Test results are returning within between three to six days, according to the retailer.

To get an appointment at any of these testing sites, visit the retailer's website.

Clinics and private medical centers

Some clinics and hospitals offer coronavirus testing. Patients who are going in for certain procedures or treatments may be asked to take a COVID-19 test before their appointment.

United Memorial Medical Center offers free testing at multiple sites in Houston. Federally qualified health clinics, which provide care to low-income communities in Houston, are also testing people regardless of insurance. Patients are given a price based on income level and family size. HOPE Clinic, Spring Branch Community Health Center, El Centro de Corazon, Avenue 360 Health and Wellness, Lone Star Circle of Care and Legacy Community Health are making appointments for COVID-19 tests.

Similar to other sites, they're beholden to the same test delays from national lab providers.

The 24-hour independent emergency rooms around the Greater Houston area may offer COVID-19 diagnostic testing, and some may even do antibody tests. Under the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, they have been authorized to provide emergency care to Medicare patients during the pandemic, meaning that those on government insurance can go to one for testing without being charged.

However, note that some freestanding emergency rooms do not accept private insurance, nor are they all approved to accept Medicaid. Call ahead if you plan to stop by for a COVID-19 test and want to know the costs.

gwendolyn.wu@chron.com

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