At Next Level Urgent Care in Spring, medical professionals are swabbing all ages. No referral is needed.
However, families are discovering it is not always easy to find a COVID-19 test for a minor.
Dr. Brent Kaziny, a pediatric emergency medicine expert with Texas Children’s Hospital, said more patients are arriving at the ER for a COVID test. However, with hospitals already crowded, he recommended that patients rethink when they come to the emergency room.
“If it’s really that need for a test that’s driving you to go to one of those sites for care, see what other options you have available to you to just go get a test,” he said.
Kaziny said most kids still have mild symptoms and will recover, but testing can be beneficial to look for delayed complications of COVID such as MIS-C.
“You know we went a long time during the summer, where we weren’t really seeing patients with MIS-C. (But) we’re starting to see that again, so it’s definitely something that we are keeping an eye on,” he said.
Providers can bill your insurance for a test. Through a lot of insurance companies testing is free but some types of tests could cost up to $150.
Regular tests typically take 1-2 days to get results. However, paying more could get results faster.
Here are some options, for all ages, no referral needed:
American Family Care (AFC)
CVS (must be 3-years-old and up)
Next Level Urgent Care
Walgreens (must be 3-years-old and up)
These locations may require a visit with a pediatrician before testing, but can test all ages:
Legacy Community Health
Memorial Hermann Urgent Care
Night Light Pediatrics
Texas Children’s
Urgent Care for Kids