FORT WORTH (1080 KRLD)- Amid the omicron-fueled spike in COVID-19, the City of Fort Worth is adding additional testing sites.
The city is already operating a testing site at the TEXRail North Side Station at 3001 Decatur Ave.
Now, there are two additional testing sites available on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
The Scarborough-Handley Fieldhouse site on 6201 Craig St. will be open from 8:00-11:30 a.m., while the Como Community Center site on 4660 Horne St. will be open from 1:00-4:30 p.m.
"Both of those are areas maybe where there is not other testing resources that would normally be available," says Brandon Bennett, Fort Worth code compliance director.
Whereas some testing sites in other cities are being plagued with long wait times, Bennett says the goal in Fort Worth is to get people in and out as quickly as possible.
"We use saliva testing, which does not require the use of a paramedic or nurse to do a nasal swab," Bennett says. "People can do it themselves inside the car -- they simply spit into a tube."
There could also be one more testing option later this week, depending on testing volume and COVID activity.
"We are working on a plan to open our testing facility on Friday if needed," says Bennett. "We'll watch that for the next day or two and then make a decision, because we don't want people to have to go through a three-day weekend being sick without getting tested."
The city testing sites are by no means the only places where people can get a COVID-19 test.
"There's also still a large number of pharmacies and private outfits that are providing free COVID testing at the neighborhood level," says Bennett, "and that's been helping us tremendously."
Related
