Free drive-through coronavirus testing sites open at retailers in Durham, Greenville
Federally paid-for coronavirus tests are now available at commercial retailers in two North Carolina counties with as many as eight other counties soon to join them.
In Durham, the testing is available at Walgreens at 3793 Guess Road. In Greenville, the tests are available at Walmart at 210 Greenville Blvd SW.
People who meet testing guidelines can sign up for an appointment online at walgreens.com/findcare/covid19/testing for Durham or doineedacovid19test.com for Greenville.
“The tests at these sites are paid for by the federal government so there is no cost for the people getting tests. Another great piece of news,” North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Mandy Cohen said last week.
Drive-through testing sites at Walmart locations in Bladen, Columbus, Cumberland, Edgecombe, Jackson and Wilkes counties are expected to open soon, possibly by May 15. The state’s Department of Health and Human Services is working with Harris Teeter in Hoke and Guilford counties to open sites as well.
North Carolina has completed more than 202,000 tests as of Tuesday morning. The state has more than 15,000 lab-confirmed cases and more than 575 deaths. North Carolina ranks 15th in total number of tests with a result, but 43rd in tests with results per 100,000 people at 18.7, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.
Among the benchmarks for re-opening the state is increasing testing to a range of 5,000 to 7,000 daily. North Carolina has hit that target 11 of the last 14 days.
“I want to see more testing going on across the state, particularly in our under-served communities,” Cohen said last week.
Most of the counties where the drive-through testing sites are being opened have a larger population of black residents and/or American Indian residents than the statewide average.
People who want to get tested at those sites do not need a referral from a physician, Cohen said Monday. Those getting tested at Walmart and Walgreens must meet federal and state criteria for testing. People wanting to get tested do need to make an appointment through the company’s websites.
At the Walgreens in Durham County, Walgreens pharmacists will oversee the self-administration of Abbott’s new ID NOW COVID-19 test, according to the company’s website. The site started on May 1.
Walmart’s guidelines say that tests should be reserved for those meeting guidelines, including those with COVID-19 symptoms, first responders, health care workers and others in high-risk groups without symptoms.
The site in Pitt County is open on Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m., according to Walmart’s website.
This story was originally published May 12, 2020 at 1:58 PM.
