COVID-19 testing in greater Houston area: how and where

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The greater Houston area has several operating coronavirus COVID-19 testing sites. But many people with symptoms still do not know the process to get tested.

There are public testing sites and private sites. Some are free of charge, others cost a fee or bill a patient's insurance.

THE LATEST: COVID-19 cases in the greater Houston area

No matter what, people with COVID-19 symptoms should first contact their family doctor and/or take a pre-screening test before heading to a testing site.

Typical symptoms include fever, cough or difficulty breathing. If you are experiencing a health emergency, and not just symptoms, you should call 911.

High-risk people are defined as those who are older adults and people of any age who have serious underlying medical conditions.

FREE

Houston Health Department

The Houston Health Department will offer drive-thru testing at two surge sites affiliated with U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The Southwest Multi-Service Center, 6400 High Star Drive, and Houston Community College - North Forest, 6010 Little York Rd., will offer nasal self-swab tests.

Both sites will open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Appointments are available at doineedacovid19test.com and on-site registration is also available. Each site has a daily capacity of 1,250 tests.

The department will offer testing at five community sites that don't require appointments. Each has a daily capacity of 250 tests:

Denver Harbor Multi-Service Center, 6402 Market St., Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., drive-thru and walk-up, self-nasal swab,

Crestmont Community Center, 5200 Selinksy Rd., Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., drive-thru and walk-up, self-nose swab,

Park Place Regional Library, 8145 Park Place Blvd., Tuesday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., drive-thru and walk-up, self-nose swab,

Acres Homes Multi-Service Center, 6719 W. Montgomery Rd., Wednesday/Friday/Saturday: 8 a.m.-4 p.m. and Tuesday/Thursday: 10 a.m. - 6 p.m., drive-thru or walk-up, mouth self-swab, and

Magnolia Multi-Service Center, 7037 Capitol St., Wednesday/Friday/Saturday: 8 a.m.-4 p.m. and Tuesday/Thursday: 10 a.m. - 6 p.m., drive-thru or walk-up, mouth self-swab.

The department will also provide drive thru, self-nasal swab testing at the METRO Addicks Park & Ride, 14230 Katy Freeway. Appointments are available by calling the department's call center at 832-393-4220.

Texas Division of Emergency Management

Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM) and the Houston Astros offer self-oral swab tests daily at Minute Maid Park (Lot C), 2208 Preston. The testing site’s capacity is 1,200 tests per day.

The site features eight drive-thru testing lanes and four walk-up testing lanes. It will open Monday through Wednesday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Thursday from noon to 8 p.m., Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Saturday from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Visit curative.com to set an appointment or obtain more information. On-site registration is also available.

TDEM and the department will also operate drive-thru sites offering tests Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. at:

HCC - Northeast Campus, 555 Community College Drive, self-mouth swab, and

HCC - South Campus, 1990 Airport Blvd., nasal swab by healthcare professionals.

Appointments for TDEM sites are available at covidtest.tdem.texas.gov. On-site registration is also available.

United Memorial Medical Center

United Memorial Medical Center (UMMC) will offer nasal-swab testing by healthcare professionals at drive-thru test sites at:

PlazAmericas Mall, 7500 Bellaire Blvd.

Houston Community College - Southeast, 6815 Rustic St.; Building B

UMMC Tidwell, 510 W. Tidwell Rd.

The sites don’t require appointments and will offer testing Monday through Friday (PlazAmericas is also open Saturday) from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. or until reaching daily capacity of 300 tests.

People needing information about UMMC test sites can call 1-866-333-COVID or visit ummcscreening.com.

Curative

Curative will provide walk up testing daily at:

University of St. Thomas, 3800 Montrose Blvd., shallow nose self-swab, 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Memorial Park Conservancy, 1153 E. Memorial Loop Dr., mouth self-swab, 8 a.m. - 6 p.m.,

Miller Outdoor Theater, 6000 Hermann Park Dr., mouth self-swab, 8 a.m. - 6 p.m.,

Houston Metro West, 11555 Westpark Dr., mouth self-swab, 8 a.m. - 6 p.m.,

Houston Metro Kashmere, 5700 Eastex Fwy., mouth self-swab, 8 a.m. - 6 p.m., and

Houston Metro Fallbrook, 111 Fallbrook Dr., mouth self-swab, 8 a.m. 6 p.m.

Appointments are available at curative.com and on-site registration is available. The sites have a 900 daily test capacity.

Federally Qualified Health Centers

The health department is providing test kits, lab access and equipment to local Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHC) so they can expand their COVID-19 testing capacity. The centers and phone numbers people can call to set up testing appointments are:

HOPE Clinic, 713-773-0803

Spring Branch Community Health Center, 713-462-6565

El Centro de Corazon, 713-660-1880

Avenue 360 Health and Wellness, 713-426-0027

Lone Star Circle of Care at the University of Houston, 346-348-1200, and

Scarsdale Family Health Center, 281-824-1480.

FQHC patients pay what they can afford, based on income and family size, and are not denied services due to inability to pay or lack of insurance.

The department and its agency partners may shift locations and schedules of test sites to better meet community needs. Houstonians can visit HoustonEmergency.org/covid19 for current Houston testing sites and information about stopping the spread of the virus.

Information obtained through testing, treatment or services will not be used against immigrants in their public charge evaluation.

Fort Bend County

Free COVID-19 is available at three locations in Fort Bend County. Testing sites are still accepting walk-ups, but appointments are preferred. To schedule an appointment, visit www.fbchealth.org or call 281-238-2363 if you don't have internet access. A healthcare professional will provide a testing site access code and further instructions.

The testing sites are operated from Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturday from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m.

The following sites are open:

- Rosenberg Annex (Rosenberg)

- Fifth Street Community Center (Stafford) - Monday - Friday 1 p.m. to 8 p.m.

- Gallery Furniture (Richmond)

Galveston County

Galveston County is partnering with UTMB to offer free COVID-19 testing for Galveston County residents. Testing is available by appointment only and free to the public. County residents may schedule an appointment by calling (832)632-6731. A government-issued form of identification will be required at the time of testing to verify residency.

Here are the symptoms of COVID-19

Some of the most common symptoms are fever, a dry cough, shortness of breath and fatigue. But as the virus continues its rapid spread, additional symptoms are being identified.

AT-A-COST

Beyond the free testing, there are quite a few other coronavirus testing locations that will charge a fee that may be covered by insurance.

Next Level Urgent Care

Next Level Urgent Care offers testing for COVID-19. They are testing symptomatic patients for COVID-19 upon the recommendation of one of their healthcare providers. To be evaluated for testing, you can make an appointment for a virtual visit or get in line at a clinics.

UTMB Health
Patients with symptoms of respiratory illness, including cough, fever or shortness of breath, should contact the UTMB Health Access Center at 800-917-8906 to speak with our 24/7 nurse hotline. The nurse hotline will advise the patient on what to do next, including the most appropriate clinic location for evaluation, if needed. Once a patient arrives at the recommended location, they will be seen by a provider and likely given a flu test. If the flu test is positive, the patient will be treated for flu as appropriate. If the flu test is negative, the provider will recommend whether a COVID-19 test is warranted.

Memorial Hermann
Memorial Hermann eVisit provides two easy ways to connect online 24/7 with a Memorial Hermann Urgent Care provider to receive diagnoses and treatment plans. Visit website for screening: memorialhermann.org/virtual-care/evisit/ Within 30 minutes, a provider will review your answers and respond with a diagnosis and treatment plan. The cost is $25. If you are told to take a COVID-19 test, they will tell you where to go. Your COVID-19 test results should be available within 7-14 days. Memorial Hermann will call you if your test is positive.

HOUSTON

Federally Qualified Health Centers

- HOPE Clinic, 713-773-0803

- Spring Branch Community Health Center, 713-462-6565

- El Centro de Corazon, 713-660-1880

- Avenue 360 Health and Wellness, 713-426-0027

- Lone Star Circle of Care at the University of Houston, 346-348-1200, and

- Scarsdale Family Health Center, 281-824-1480.

FQHC patients pay what they can afford, based on income and family size, and are not denied services due to inability to pay or lack of insurance.

Legacy Community Health in Houston

All nine Legacy Community Health offer COVID-19 testing for symptomatic people determined to be at-risk. People may visit legacycommunityhealth.org or call 832-548-5000 to be screened. Legacy offers testing on a sliding fee scale, and the clinic bills insurance companies for those who are covered.

• Legacy Bissonnet, 12667 Bissonnet

• Legacy Fifth Ward, 3811 Lyons Ave.

• Legacy Mapleridge, 6550 Mapleridge St.

• Legacy Montrose, 1415 California St.

• Legacy Northline, 5598-A1 North Freeway

• Legacy San Jacinto, 4301 Garth Suite 400, Baytown

• Legacy Santa Clara (East End), 5616 Lawndale St.

• Legacy Sharpstown, 6677 Rookin

• Legacy Southwest, 6441 High Star Dr.

My Family Doctor
My Family Doctor has a drive-thru testing site at 6430 Hillcroft Street open Monday through Friday between 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. This site is currently cash-only and limited to high-risk people with symptoms. People can visit the My Family Doctor website at covid19drivethru.com for more information.

MD Medical Group
Clinicas Mi Doctor and MD Kids Pediatrics, two Houston MD Medical Group clinics, offer drive-thru COVID-19 testing by appointment. People can request an appointment by calling or texting 888-776-5252, or visiting mdmedicalgroup.us.

FORT BEND COUNTY

OakBend Medical Group
The initial criteria for the COVID-19 testing will require a Telehealth visit. People should call 281-238-7870. Patients will be screened for criteria that suggest a possible positive COVID-19.