Free COVID-19 testing events coming to Columbia and Lexington
Multiple free COVID-19 testing events will be held across the Midlands over the next two weeks.
The coronavirus screenings will be held at schools in Columbia and Lexington County, according to Prisma Health officials. The hospital system is sponsoring the events along with the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control.
On Friday and Saturday, there will be COVID-19 screening at A.C. Flora High School from 8 a.m. to noon, Prisma Health officials said in a news release.
Another testing event will be held from 8 a.m. to noon on July 28 at Longleaf Middle School in Columbia, according to the release.
The weekend of July 31 and Aug. 1, the testing will shift to Lexington, where screening will be held at River Bluff High School from 8 a.m. to noon each day.
Additionally, Chester High School will hold a testing session from 8 a.m. to noon on Tuesday, according to the release.
The screenings are open to the public, and community members will not need a doctor’s order, Prisma officials said.
No appointments are needed to get screened for COVID-19, and testing will be given regardless of ability to pay, according to the release. Additionally, Spanish-speaking Prisma employees will be available at every site.
Community members are asked to follow social distancing mandates, and all participants will be given masks during the process, officials said.
The test results are expected to be returned within four days, and Prisma officials said they will provide follow-up information to all participants, regardless of the test results. Additionally, tips will be made available for the community on isolating at home if sick and how to get more help if symptoms get worse, according to the release.
Prisma’s test sites are in addition to the screening areas in South Carolina previously announced by DHEC.
The test will involve a 6-inch long swab being inserted into the nose for 15 seconds and rotated several times, before the process is repeated on the other nostril.
Through Sunday, there were 69,765 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 1,138 deaths in South Carolina, health officials said.
