Free COVID-19 testing returning to West Columbia in drive-thru screening
A new popup COVID-19 testing event will be held in Lexington County Wednesday.
Testing will be held at Brookland United Methodist Church, according to a news release from Lexington Medical Center, which is conducting the testing along with the state Department of Health and Environmental Control. The testing was arranged at the request of state senators Nikki Setzler and Katrina Shealy, hospital officials said.
The free testing is open to everyone from 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., according to the release. The church is at 541 Meeting St. in West Columbia, near the intersection with Sunset Boulevard and the Gervais Street bridge.
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 getting 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 the results will be processed by third-party labs, 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 5,000 people in events at Lexington High School, Chapin High School, Irmo High School, White Knoll High School, Brookland Baptist Church, Willow Ridge Church, Batesburg-Leesville Elementary School and Schumpert’s IGA in Pelion, according to the release.
The hospital has also established a fixed location for free coronavirus screening at 139 Summer Place Drive in West Columbia. Just a mile from Lexington Medical Center, across U.S. 378 (Sunset Boulevard), the more permanent testing site is usually open from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., Monday through Friday.
Through Monday, there were 123,552 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 2,767 deaths in South Carolina, health officials said. Lexington County has reported 6,121 positive tests and 144 coronavirus-related deaths, according to DHEC.
This story was originally published September 8, 2020 at 1:48 PM.
