HOUSTON – The drive-thru mega testing site at Delmar Stadium reopened Wednesday to provide free COVID-19 testing to Houstonians in need.
The new site, located at 2020 Magnum Road, opened in partnership with the Houston Health Department and Curative.
The site will operate daily from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., with a capacity of 1,000 tests a day.
While testing is free, you will need to schedule an appointment at curative.com or by calling 1-888-702-9042. The site will be closed on Dec. 31 and Jan. 1.
“As omicron cases surge in Houston and across the country, I applaud people for getting tested before traveling, gathering with loved ones or returning to work. Testing and vaccination will help slow the virus spread and save lives,” Mayor Sylvester Turner said. “The increased demand for testing has led to longer than usual lines and wait times for some. The new site will help meet the demand and expand capacity for testing.”
This is not the only mega-site in our area doing COVID tests. Another site will open up at Minute Maid Park on Dec. 30.
The site will operate Sundays through Wednesdays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Thursdays and Fridays from 12 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Appointments are required by visiting mycovidappointment.com or calling 833-213-0643.
The site has the capacity for 400 tests a day, but can scale up, if needed.
During a news conference on Wednesday, Turner announced a rise in cases among city employees.
“For municipal employees, that number is now 286, for the Houston Police Department, that number is now up to 252, and increasing; and for the Houston Fire Department, that number is 71. That brings us a total today of city employees impacted by COVID to 609,” Turner said.
Mayor Turner added that adjustments were being made to staff 911 call centers.
“We are having to modify some things with respect to, for example, 911 and 311,” said Turner. " Operators are already being impacted, not able to come to work. We anticipate that as we get closer to New Year’s Eve that the number of calls will increase. So, we are trying to make adjustments there.”
Turner said additional testing sites to meet demands were coming to the Houston area as soon as next week.
In partnership with UMMC, the city will open a testing site at Butler Stadium that will have the capacity to test up to 1,000 people.
“The goal is by the end of next week, when more people will be returning from their holidays and coming back into the city, and I’m sure the demand will be even higher next week, the goal will be able to take the city’s daily testing capacity from where we were as of yesterday -- 27,000, to 35,000 or more by the end of next week,” Turner said.
Turner told KPRC 2, that Houston’s latest 14-day average in terms of COVID-19 positivity rate is 17.3%, which is up from 7.8% last week, and 4.8% the previous week.
The rise in cases compelled the Houston Independent School District to announce it would also provide testing for all students and staff on HISD campuses.
“In reference to vaccinations and testing, HISD will be offering free COVID-19 PCR screen testing on campuses, to HISD students and staff starting in January,” said Superintendent Millard House II.
WATCH: Mayor Turner visits mega COVID testing site at Delmar Stadium