HOUSTON The Houston Astros and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott teamed up to announce the opening of a new free testing site at Minute Maid Park. Thanks to the help of the Texas Division of Emergency Management, the testing site will be able to provide up to 2,000 tests per day. The State of Texas continues to work diligently to increase access to testing in communities that need it most, Abbott said. We are happy to continue to assist our community as we collectively fight this pandemic.The testing site will operate from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. seven days a week.

HOUSTON – A COVID-19 testing center near Houston’s NRG Stadium has been shuttered after an out-of-town lab reported problems inputting patients information. The drive-up saliva testing site on Fannin near the South Loop was a private joint-venture between Dallas-based Bloom Health and Red Arrow Analytical Laboratories, which is principally run out of Oklahoma City, according to managing partner, Duke Naiphon. “The glitch was not the test, the glitch was the communication, because the tests were flowing pretty good,” Naiphon said. He said that refunds were the responsibility of partner, Bloom Health because that company ran the site and hired Red Arrow. Naiphon said that he hoped the testing site at 1615 South Loop West would reopen once the patient transcription problems were ironed out, but could not provide a date.

Drive-thru testing for COVID-19 is available throughout Houston and across the state, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services.

HOUSTON – The city of Houston has expanded the eligibility to get tested for the coronavirus. Now, any individual showing coronavirus-related symptoms can be evaluated at Butler Stadium, the city's only testing facility. During a press conference Saturday afternoon, Mayor Slyvester Turn said the city anticipates the opening of another site this upcoming week. Seven Houston Police Department officers are among those who tested positive for COVID-19. History has shown in different pandemics when the community comes together and does the right thing, both on the individual level and the government level.”