Walmart to host free COVID-19 testing site
Walmart, 1601 Albert Pike Road, will host a free COVID-19 drive-thru testing site in its parking lot on Friday, according to the city-county coronavirus task force.
The site is supported by Walmart, eTrueNorth and state and local officials to test anyone who meets guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and state and local authorities on who should be tested, including those with symptoms of COVID-19 or first responders, health care providers and others in high-risk groups without symptoms, the task force said in a news release Wednesday.
“The site will use a self-administered nasal swab observed by a trained medical professional to ensure the sample is taken correctly,” the release said.
Anyone who thinks they qualify to be tested is asked to visit http://www.DoINeedaCOVID19test.com to determine their eligibility, and to make an appointment.
Anyone who has difficulty scheduling an appointment online can call 800-635-8611. People being tested must wear a mask and stay in their vehicles at all times. Appointments will be scheduled between 7-9 a.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays and
Fridays, weather permitting. A schedule voucher from the completed online form will need to be shown at the drive-thru site. For the safety of those on-site, the test site is not available to anyone who walks up.
“Walmart is part of the community, and we are proud to help support the expansion of COVID-19 testing in Hot Springs during this unprecedented time,” Michael Lindsay, Walmart public affairs director for Arkansas,
said in the release. “We are grateful to our associates who keep our stores running, our pharmacists who support these testing sites and to eTrueNorth and local officials as we work together to open the site and help our community.”
The site will be staffed by Walmart health care professionals, and eTrueNorth will handle processing test samples and communicating results to those tested and the Arkansas
Department of Health.
“While individuals who are tested are awaiting results, please follow CDC guidelines and take steps to help prevent the virus from spreading to people in your home and community,” the release said.
For more information and resources relating to COVID-19 in Hot Springs and Garland County, including the locations of other testing sites in the county, visit http://www.cityhs.net/covid-19.