Free COVID-19 testing event to be held in Lexington
Free COVID-19 testing will be held in Lexington County on Tuesday.
The event will be held at Lexington High School, according to a news release from Lexington Medical Center, which is conducting the testing along with the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control.
The free testing is open to everyone from 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., according to the release.
People looking to be tested for the coronavirus do not need to have symptoms or a doctor’s order, and no appointments are necessary, hospital officials said.
A valid form of identification will be required, and anyone going to get tested must wear a mask or face covering, according to the release.
Testing will be administered from the seat of a car, and patients do not need to get out of the vehicle.
The drive-thru format will involve a clinician inserting a 6-inch long swab into the nose for 15 seconds and rotating it several times, before repeating the process on the other nostril, according to the release.
DHEC is providing test kits and will process the results, hospital officials said.
Questions about the testing and the event can be asked at www.scdhec.gov or 803-898-3432.
This is one of several community testing sites being made available across the Midlands by either DHEC, Lexington Medical Center or Prisma Health.
Lexington Medical Center has previously held free COVID-19 screenings for more than 3,400 people at events at Irmo High School, White Knoll High School, Brookland Baptist Church, Batesburg-Leesville Elementary School and Schumpert’s IGA in Pelion, according to the release.
Through Monday, there were 58,003 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 961 deaths in South Carolina, health officials said. Lexington County has reported 3,012 positive tests and 61 coronavirus-related deaths, acording to DHEC.
This story was originally published July 13, 2020 at 12:30 PM.
