HOUSTON – There have been a lot of rumors circulating on social media about county and city coronavirus testing sites opening Wednesday, but health officials said they are not ready.
The Houston Health Department is asking people to not show up to a location they may have heard is a testing site.
According to the department’s Twitter page, you will not be tested, and “your presence could unintentionally put others at risk, cause delays, and interrupt the healthcare professionals who are working expeditiously to open the sites.”
We are working with community partners to establish #COVID19 testing sites. We will announce the locations and procedures when details are finalized. Despite reports, the sites are NOT scheduled to open on March 18. (1/4)@HoustonHealth @HoustonOEM @hcphtx #hounews pic.twitter.com/Ozt7bOcAW7
— Houston Health Dept (@HoustonHealth) March 17, 2020
Although a representative from Judge Lina Hidalgo’s office said they don’t have testing sites available, they are looking to setup four sites in total in Harris County.
Testing for the coronavirus is critical for public health officials to determine how far the virus has spread and exactly who needs to be quarantined. But in Texas, testing is still lagging.
Gov. Greg Abbott said Tuesday he expects to speed that up so that by the end of the week, the state will be testing 10,000 people a week.
At the same time, more Texas cities are adding drive-thru testing. Houston is hoping to open a testing site at Butler Stadium and up to three other sites Wednesday, but the city is still working to get that finalized.
In the meantime, a private clinic in southwest Houston began offering drive-up testing Monday and business is booming.
The private clinic, My Family Doctor, located at 6430 Hillcroft Ave., began drive-thru testing for the virus Monday. Tuesday, potential patients were lined up for blocks, waiting three hours and more to get the test.
One of the potential patients, Frank Stone, said he’s afraid he caught something near the rodeo cookoff booth two weeks ago where several coronavirus cases are thought to have originated. He’s waited days to be tested.
“I was at the rodeo and ran into some people coughing and now, I’ve been sick for about four days. So rather not take (the) chance of spreading it to other people. I’ve already been quarantining myself but this is the first day they’ve actually had testing,” Stone said.
Darla Lexington said she has all the symptoms and is afraid of passing the virus to her family.
“I have the cough, I have the fever, I have the whole thing,” Lexington said.
All patients are screened outside in the clinic parking lot while sitting in their vehicles, but not all will get the test. Only those meeting the CDC guidelines are accepted.
“If you have no symptoms or have different symptoms or are not in a high-risk category you will probably not receive the test,” said Spencer Solomon, with My Family Doctor clinic. “If you’re elderly or have chronic diseases you are more likely to receive the test. If you are showing symptoms of this disease you are more likely to receive the test.”
On Tuesday Gov. Abbott said only 1,264 Texans have been tested so far. With 64 confirmed cases in 19 counties and one death in Matagorda County.
Publicly sponsored drive-thru testing is now underway in San Antonio, Dallas and Austin, but still isn’t available in Houston.
Butler Stadium, 13755 S. Main St., is one of four sites approved for providing testing in Harris County. The site is ready to go, but the city is still waiting for protective clothing and equipment for health care workers.
“How many of those sites we can set up will depend on the people available. We have to protect healthcare providers. So depending on the amount of equipment that comes in will determine how many sites will be activated this week,” Mayor Turner said Tuesday.
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