SAN ANTONIO – On Saturday morning, hundreds of people in San Antonio woke up early to get tested for COVID-19.
Metro Health, along with paramedics from the San Antonio Fire Department’s Mobile Integrated Healthcare, or MIH, helped set up the three-day walk-up site that offers free testing at both the Southside Lions Community Center and the Claude Black Community Center.
Both locations have offered services since Thursday morning at 10 a.m., testing a total of 150 people per day.
On Saturday morning, Metro Health’s health equity manager, Carlos Rodríguez said 25 more tests would be available at each site on the last day.
“Today we have one 175 tests (for COVID-19),” Rodríguez said. “As long as we have this available, we will test anybody with or without symptoms.”
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Although services run until 2 p.m., SAFD’s program manager for MIH, Chris Velásquez, admits they’ve wrapped up much earlier due to the demand.
“The community response is huge,” Velásquez said. “Obviously, we're maxing out on test kits every day. Hopefully we will be able to expand that capacity in the near future.”
During the next few weeks throughout different sectors in San Antonio, the walk-up testing sites will offer services on Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
“We’re going to continue doing this, the walk-up testing sites, in all districts of San Antonio,” Rodríguez said. “First, we’re going to try to target the areas in San Antonio where we have a population with a difficult access to services.”
Those seeking to get tested for the respiratory disease caused by coronavirus aren’t required to have a doctor’s note or appointment at Metro Health’s walk-up clinics. Although not required, people are encouraged to bring an ID with their current address to facilitate the check-in process.
“A Texas ID is not required, but it does facilitate the data entry into the computer,” Rodríguez said. “That's all it does, and we can also just ask you the information and type it in.”
A phone number and email is required for the lab to communicate the results directly with the person tested.
“They'll get a phone, it's an automated phone call,” Velásquez said. “You'll get a phone call with your results. The phone call (will) also be followed up with a text message.”
The City of San Antonio Metropolitan Health District has not yet announced where next week’s walk-up clinics will be set up to offer free testing.
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