In the spring of 2020, the county health department and the Kanawha County Emergency Ambulance Authority gave 108 COVID-19 tests in one week at drive-up testing events in Kanawha County.
The drive-up series started small. The first event, at the ambulance authority on Brooks Street on April 21, 2020, tested 26 people. On April 28, about 70 people were tested on Charleston’s West Side, an area with many minority residents. A third event followed on Friday, May 1, at Bible Center Church, where day care workers were invited to be tested even without symptoms.
Tests at these early events were by appointment through the health department hotline, 304-348-1088. Samples went to a commercial lab, with results in about 24 hours. See Twenty-six tested during drive-up COVID-19 testing event and more COVID-19 testing events announced.