A pause on free at-home COVID test kit deliveries for NC residents. What to know.
Labcorp will pause orders of free COVID-19 home collection kits beginning Wednesday, Dec. 29, through Sunday, Jan. 2, to meet customer expectations during limited holiday shipping delivery windows, the corporation’s website says.
Labcorp is the state’s free at-home testing option. North Carolinians have been able to order free test kits through a partnership with the NC Department of Health and Human Services.
These are self-administered PCR COVID-19 tests that are delivered via FedEx Overnight shipping and returned to Labcorp for processing using a pre-paid shipping envelope. Results are available online within a few days.
“Residents 18 and older can request a no-cost at-home COVID-19 test collection kit for themselves online or through several community partner organizations. Parents or guardians of residents under 18 can request a no-cost at-home COVID-19 test collection kit for those aged 2-17,” the NCDHHS website says.
The company said that they’re pausing orders “to meet customer expectations during limited holiday shipping delivery windows,” CBS17 first reported.
The testing center will continue to offer in-person testing at some Labcorp locations, but there is a charge of $119 for those tests, per Labcorp’s website.
As the demand for in-person testing has increased, experts and medical professionals have been advising the public to use the NC Department of Health and Human Services’ at-home testing option via Labcorp before and after holiday gatherings.
Some have reported waiting over an hour to get a free in-person COVID test in Raleigh, though other Wake County sites have reported shorter wait times. Appointments are not available in Durham at the Optum Serve locations (shared in the graphic on the county’s COVID-19 testing page) until next week, per a Durham County spokesperson, but there are other free testing options in the county.
Wake County requires appointments, while Durham allows walk-in tests (but encourages appointments).
How, where to get a COVID-19 test in Wake, Orange, Durham
These Wake County sites are open daily 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., except for New Years hours. These sites are closed on New Year’s Eve and open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on New Year’s Day.
All locations and directions can be found at wakegov.com/testing. Here are the five sites:
- Wake County Southern Regional Center — 130 N. Judd Parkway NE in Fuquay-Varina
- Wake County Northern Regional Center — 350 E. Holding Ave. in Wake Forest
- Wake County Eastern Regional Center — 1002 Dogwood Drive in Zebulon
- Vision Church RDU Parking Lot — 5808 Departure Drive in Raleigh
- Wake County Health & Human Services Center Parking Lot — 2845 Kidd Road in Raleigh
And a temporary site at Raleigh at Word of God Assembly Church on Rock Quarry Road is open for COVID tests through Jan. 4, Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Pre-registration is required.
Orange County has two locations for COVID tests, per the county’s website: Hillsborough and Chapel Hill. Each is open every weekday, but Hillsborough is closed Saturday, while Chapel Hill is closed Sunday.
- Hillsborough — Testing is available Monday through Friday (11 a.m. to 7 p.m.) and Sundays ( 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.) in the parking lot in front of the Department of Social Services at 113 Mayo Street. Pre-registration is encouraged and may be done online. Select Orange County when registering: unityphm.com/campaigns/starmed.
- Chapel Hill — Testing is available Monday through Friday (7 a.m. to 3 p.m.) and Saturday (9 a.m. to 4 p.m.) at Southern Human Services Center at 2501 Homestead Road. Testing will take place in the large conference room inside the front entrance.
The Durham County Public Health Department has the following testing sites, though there are more testing options available in the county:
- El Centro Hispano — Open for COVID-19 testing every day (10 a.m. to 6 p.m.), 2000 Chapel Hill Rd., Suite 26A in Durham. Drive-thru testing is available.
- 414 E. Main St. — Open for COVID-19 testing on Saturdays and Sundays (9 a.m. to 7 p.m.), 414 E. Main St. in Durham. Drive-thru testing is available.
To register, visit Lhi.care/covidtesting or call (877) 562-4850. Testing is available for anyone, regardless of age, insurance or documentation. Spanish speakers are available at each location.
This story was originally published December 29, 2021 at 10:12 AM.
