COVID-19 Update March 23, 2020

Houston’s COVID-19 Site Broadens Testing to Symptomatic People with Chronic Illnesses

Houston’s first free COVID-19 drive-thru testing site will broaden services to people of any age with chronic illnesses on Sunday, March 22, 2020.

People with chronic illnesses experiencing cough, difficulty breathing and fever, the common COVID-19 symptoms, can call the Houston Health Department’s COVID-19 call center at 832-393-4220 between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. to get screened. They will receive a unique identification code and instructions on where to go for testing.

Examples of chronic illnesses include heart disease, asthma, chronic lung disease, cancer, HIV/AIDS. Transplant recipients, people with weakened immune systems and pregnant women are also eligible for COVID-19 testing.

The site will only accept people with a unique identification code obtained through the screening process. People who show up without an identification code will not get tested.

Dr. David Persse, local health authority for the Houston Health Department, recommends people with COVID-19 symptoms first check with their family doctor before seeking screening at a drive-thru site.