Six pop-up Covid 19 testing sites opened in Columbus
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – Six pop-up COVID-19 testing sites opened in Columbus Friday morning.
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine announced that additional pop-up testing locations will. open soon in Cincinnati, Cleveland, Dayton, Xenia, Portsmouth, Columbiana, Akron, and other locations.
Carlotta Taylor pulled in to the one-day pop up testing site at the Heart of Ohio Family Health Center on Innis Rd. Taylor said she did not have symptoms but she had reason to be concerned. “I do home health care and I take care of a client that was tested positive yesterday with Covid-19 so I felt that I needed to be tested.”
The test is free and does not require a referral from a physician.
Yammah Morgan, Chief Operating Officer at the center said most of the people coming in to be tested are asymptomatic. “They just want to know,” Morgan said. “Some of them are coming because they’re applying for jobs and they’re telling them they need some kind of paperwork so they came through to find out if they’re positive or negative so they can present it to their potential employer.”
Health center employees are handling the paperwork. Members of the Ohio National Guard are conducting the tests, swabbing the inside of noses, and sealing the samples to be sent to a lab.
Taylor said the whole process was quick and easy. “It’s free. Anybody can come be tested if you’re worried about the costs or if you’re worried about long lines at the emergency room. There’s nobody here, you can come and get tested right away.”
The pop-up locations for Friday are:
Heart of Ohio Family Health, 2365 Innis Rd. Columbus, 8:00a.m. – 4:30p.m.
Heart of Ohio Family Health, 882 S. Hamilton Rd. Whitehall, 8:00a.m. – 4:30p.m.
Primary One Health, 2300 W. Broad St. Columbus, 9:00a.m. – 5:00p.m.
Primary One Health, 1905 Parsons Ave. Columbus, 9:00a.m. – 5:00p.m.
Primary One Health, 3433 Agler Rd. Columbus, 9:00a.m. – 5:00p.m…
Primary One Health, 1500 E. 17th Ave. Columbus, 9:00a.m. – 5:00p.m.
Gov. DeWine announced Thursday that anyone who wants to be tested for the COVID-19 coronavirus can now get a test.
DeWine said the state was playing it safe as the pandemic began, limiting who could receive a coronavirus test. However, now that the state’s capacity for testing has increase significantly, testing is open to everyone.
“Testing is an important weapon in our arsenal, but now everyone who wants one can get one,” he said. “By understanding who is sick, whether they are showing symptoms or not, we are able to better prevent the spread of COVID-19.”
The state’s coronavirus website has posted a map of testing locations throughout Ohio. The map will be updated as more locations come online, DeWine said.
The locations include both retail sites (CVS, Walgreens, etc.) and medical facilities.