Tri-Cities gets free drive-thru COVID testing. No doctor order needed
Free, drive-thru COVID-19 testing will be offered in the Tri-Cities by appointment to anyone starting Wednesday, June 17, says the Benton Franklin Health District.
Allowing anyone to be tested is a major change for the Tri-Cities area.
“We’re able to expand testing now because we finally have adequate testing supplies,” said Dr. Amy Person, health officer for Benton and Franklin counties.
The testing will be offered to to anyone who believes they should be tested, with those who have COVID-19 symptoms or how have been exposed to the coronvirus urged to be tested.
The testing sites will be at the Toyota Center in Kennewick and the HAPO Center, formerly called TRAC, in Pasco.
The sites will be open Tuesdays through Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. starting June 17. But there will be no Tuesday testing this week.
To get a required appointment, call 211 during weekday business hours.
No order from a doctor or other health care provider is required to be tested.
Test results will be released by telephone calls within three to seven days. Written results will be mailed and should be received within 10 days.
“Previously, we had very limited supplies and we needed to make sure we prioritized testing to critical cases,” Dr. Person said. “Now we can do broader testing because we have more supplies, more access to supplies and expanded testing capacity.”
Increased testing is one of the factors the Washington state Department of Health is considering as it decides whether the Tri-Cities area may reopen more businesses and possibly allow small gatherings under the state’s Safe Start Phased Reopening Plan.
It has emphasized the need for more testing and for widespread use of face coverings as keys to getting the virus under control in Benton and Franklin counties, according to the local health district.
Benton and Franklin counties expect to receive decisions on whether and how much they can reopen from the state early this week.
The drive-up testing is a joint effort of the local health district, the Washington state Department of Health, Benton and Franklin county’s Emergency Management and the Washington National Guard.
This story was originally published June 15, 2020 at 10:43 AM.