Health Department and KCEAA to Hold Free Drive-Up COVID-19 Testing Event Thursday

In 2020, the county health department and the Kanawha County Emergency Ambulance Authority (KCEAA) held free drive-up COVID-19 testing events at churches, schools and community centers across Kanawha County. Several of these events took place on a Thursday.

Thursday testing events in 2020

  • Thursday, May 21, 2020, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., at First Baptist Church in Charleston. People made an appointment through the health department’s COVID-19 hotline, 304-348-1088.
  • Thursday, June 25, 2020, 2 to 7 p.m., at Sissonville High School, 6100 Sissonville Drive. This event was open to anyone, including people without symptoms. People could call 304-348-1088 for an appointment, and drive-ups were also accepted.

How the events changed

The first drive-up event took place on Tuesday, April 21, 2020, at the KCEAA building on Brooks Street in Charleston. At first, testing was by appointment only and only for people with symptoms such as cough, fever and shortness of breath.

By June 2020 the events were open to everyone. Close to 3,500 people had been tested at the drive-up sites by June 10. At a church event in Cross Lanes that month, the pastor said it was good to see people “get tested for free.” The health officer said there were plenty of tests, so people should not hesitate to come to one of the free events.

See testing events in Sissonville and Charleston, Preregister for COVID-19 drive-up events and Twenty-six tested during drive-up COVID-19 testing event.

This information is from 2020. It is kept here as a record and is not current advice. Check current guidance from the CDC or your doctor.

Sources

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