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Coronavirus testing updates: Latest options in Virginia, Maryland, D.C. Coronavirus testing updates: Latest options in Virginia, Maryland, D.C.
(2 days later)
The Washington Post is providing this important information about the coronavirus for free. For more free coverage of the coronavirus pandemic, sign up for our daily Coronavirus Updates newsletter where all stories are free to read.The Washington Post is providing this important information about the coronavirus for free. For more free coverage of the coronavirus pandemic, sign up for our daily Coronavirus Updates newsletter where all stories are free to read.
New coronavirus testing sites continue to open across the region — but getting tested still isn’t easy. People need a doctor’s referral and then have to pass the screening put in place by the hospital or clinic that is doing the testing. New coronavirus testing sites continue to open across the region — but getting tested still isn’t easy. People usually need a doctor’s referral and an appointment, and then have to pass the screening put in place by the hospital or clinic that is doing the testing.
Showing up without a note from a physician or the local or state health department will not only result in disappointment, it may also delay or prevent testing for first responders, health workers and people at a high risk for death from the virus, medical authorities warn. In the District, Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D) is especially encouraging people living in institutional settings and those who have symptoms or are over 65 to get tested.
People being tested should also be aware that it takes about three to seven days to get results, which come from state-run or private laboratories. Thus, new cases announced on a Wednesday, for example, probably came from tests taken a week earlier. Here is our latest list of testing sites in the region:
But it’s not just people with fever, cough or shortness of breath who are being tested. Over the past several weeks, more symptoms related to covid-19 have been identified. So, if you feel sick, call a doctor or call the testing hotline and let a medical professional advise you on next steps. ● The city has set up testing sites at United Medical Center, the city’s only public hospital, and the University of the District of Columbia Community College’s Bertie Backus campus across from the Fort Totten Metro station in Northeast Washington.
If you do have a doctor’s note, here is the latest list of known sites in the region where coronavirus sample collection or testing is underway: Patients must be D.C. residents and need to be screened and make an appointment by calling the Testing Triage Call Center, 1-855-363-0333. The call center is open 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.
●● A drive-through and walk-up covid-19 testing site at United Medical Center, the city’s only public hospital, opened to D.C. residents April 3. The site, which is operated in conjunction with George Washington University Hospital, was first opened to first responders who were referred by their agencies. Priority is given to residents who are 65 or older or have underlying health conditions, health-care employees who work at a facility in the city, people who are symptomatic or have a doctor’s order, were exposed to a known covid-19 patient, critical infrastructure workers who have symptoms, and D.C. first responders who have symptoms or have been exposed.
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Patients who have symptoms need to be referred by doctors and get an appointment. They must be D.C. residents who are 65 or older or have underlying health conditions, health-care employees who work at a facility in the city, and D.C. first responders with underlying health conditions. The regular hours will be from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. A hotline for appointments without a doctor’s referral will be set up later.
● The District is adding a walk-through, drive-through testing site at the University of the District of Columbia Community College’s Bertie Backus campus across from the Fort Totten Metro station in Northeast Washington. The site will be appointment-only and open on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
● One Medical allows anyone who thinks they have covid-19 symptoms to sign up for a virtual assessment through their app, which can be downloaded here. If testing is deemed necessary, One Medical will refer patients to a testing site, including a new outdoor location in Georgetown.● One Medical allows anyone who thinks they have covid-19 symptoms to sign up for a virtual assessment through their app, which can be downloaded here. If testing is deemed necessary, One Medical will refer patients to a testing site, including a new outdoor location in Georgetown.
● Farragut Medical and Travel Care offers tests to anyone who suspects they have or had the coronavirus. No doctor’s order is required. Email info@farragutmedical.com or call 202-775-8500 for an appointment. Patients are asked to wear face masks to the office at 818 Connecticut Ave. NW. Insurance is not accepted, but the firm will provide documentation to submit to your own insurer. The standard throat swab, which includes a flu and strep test, costs $525. A fingerpick test for those who may have acquired immunity costs $290.● Farragut Medical and Travel Care offers tests to anyone who suspects they have or had the coronavirus. No doctor’s order is required. Email info@farragutmedical.com or call 202-775-8500 for an appointment. Patients are asked to wear face masks to the office at 818 Connecticut Ave. NW. Insurance is not accepted, but the firm will provide documentation to submit to your own insurer. The standard throat swab, which includes a flu and strep test, costs $525. A fingerpick test for those who may have acquired immunity costs $290.
● The AllCare Family Medicine & Urgent Care will schedule drive-in coronavirus tests for people with appointments between 6 and 7 p.m. weekdays and noon to 1 p.m. weekends at 1710 Rhode Island Ave. Patients must first be evaluated through a telemedicine visit at www.allcarefamilymed.com.● The AllCare Family Medicine & Urgent Care will schedule drive-in coronavirus tests for people with appointments between 6 and 7 p.m. weekdays and noon to 1 p.m. weekends at 1710 Rhode Island Ave. Patients must first be evaluated through a telemedicine visit at www.allcarefamilymed.com.
● Children’s National Hospital has testing for children only in a drive-up and walk-up facility on the campus of Trinity Washington University. A referral from a pediatrician is required, and tests are done three days per week, depending on the weather. Joelle Simpson, medical director of emergency preparedness at Children’s National, said that that is to avoid contamination of the samples in case of rain. ● Children’s National Hospital has testing for children only in the campus of Trinity Washington University. A referral from a pediatrician is required, and tests are done three days per week, depending on the weather.
● Kaiser Permanente’s D.C. clinic, located near the Kaiser Permanente Capitol Hill Medical Center, offers drive-up and walk-up testing. The sites are open for testing from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., seven days a week. The site — as well as Kaiser sites in the suburbs (see below) — requires a doctor’s order and appointment for the test. ● Kaiser Permanente’s D.C. clinic, located near the Kaiser Permanente Capitol Hill Medical Center, offers testing, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., seven days a week. The site — as well as Kaiser sites in the suburbs (see below) — requires a doctor’s order and appointment.
● Unity Health Care has also begun testing for the coronavirus at its Minnesota Avenue, Kenilworth Terrace and 14th Street NW locations. Patients should be ready to answer questions about their health and be screened before getting a test. ● Unity Health Care offers screening and testing at its Minnesota Avenue, Kenilworth Terrace and 14th Street NW locations.
● George Washington University Hospital in the District’s Foggy Bottom neighborhood began drive-through testing for coronavirus April 6, at 20th Street and H Street NW. The site will also service pedestrian patients at 22nd Street NW and I Street NW. ● George Washington University Hospital in the District’s Foggy Bottom neighborhood offers drive-through testing by appointment at 20th Street and H Street NW. Patients can also walk up to be tested at 22nd Street NW and I Street NW.
Testing will be appointment-only, Monday through Friday from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Patients will be given a 60-minute window for their testing. Patients will need to get a doctor’s order for the test, and health-care providers can schedule a testing time through the website at www.gwcovid19testing.com. GW is offering phone or video conference with staff members for patients who do not have a provider but have covid-19 symptoms. Patients need a doctor’s order for the test, and health-care providers can schedule a testing time through the website at www.gwcovid19testing.com.
FAQ: What you need to know about coronavirus in the DMVFAQ: What you need to know about coronavirus in the DMV
● Virginia Hospital Center in Arlington set up a temporary drive-through site at 1429 N. Quincy St. The location collects samples from about 60 patients per day and sends them out for testing. It is by appointment only and requires doctor-provided covid-19 test referrals. The site is reserved for Arlington residents, employees or patients of the hospital’s medical staff. ● Virginia Hospital Center in Arlington has a drive-through testing site at 1429 N. Quincy St. It is by appointment only for Arlington residents, employees or patients of the hospital’s medical staff, and requires a doctor’s referral.
● Kaiser Permanente has drive-through testing locations for its members in Woodbridge and Tysons. The sites are open for testing from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., seven days a week, and require a doctor’s order and appointment. ● Kaiser Permanente has drive-through testing locations for its members in Woodbridge and Tysons. The sites are open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., seven days a week, and require a doctor’s order and appointment.
● Inova Health System set up three of its urgent-care centers at Dulles South, North Arlington and Tysons to screen all patients with symptoms connected to respiratory illnesses and provide drive-through sample collection for tests that have been ordered by physicians. All three clinics are open daily, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. ● Inova Health System is screening patients and testing those with doctor’s orders at three of its urgent-care centers at Dulles South, North Arlington and Tysons. All three clinics are open daily, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
● PM Pediatrics in Fairfax County has opened a drive-up coronavirus testing center at 11056 Lee Highway, open between 10:30 a.m. and 7:30 p.m. Phone: (703) 552-5437. Patients of any age maybe tested if they register for a telemedicine consult at this site. ● PM Pediatrics in Fairfax County has a drive-up coronavirus testing center at 11056 Lee Highway, open between 10:30 a.m. and 7:30 p.m. Phone: (703) 552-5437. Patients of any age may be tested if they register for a telemedicine consult at this site.
So there’s been a stay-at-home order. Here’s what it means to you.So there’s been a stay-at-home order. Here’s what it means to you.
Three coronavirus testing sites opened March 30 at vehicle emissions sites in Glen Burnie in Anne Arundel County, Waldorf in Charles County and Bel Air in Harford County. ● The state has set up testing at vehicle emissions sites in White Oak (Montgomery County), Columbia (Howard County), Glen Burnie (Anne Arundel County), Waldorf (Charles County), Owings Mills (Baltimore County), Prince Frederick (Charles County) and Bel Air (Harford County).
The sites were designed to “pull people away from” emergency rooms and doctors’ offices and provide alternatives, said Fran Phillips, the state’s deputy secretary for public health services. Patients need a doctor’s order and an appointment, which will be granted only to Maryland residents who are symptomatic and at high risk for complications from covid-19.
They are reserved for people with symptoms who are either a health-care worker, a first responder, over 65 years old, live in group homes or are deemed “medically unstable” by their doctor. Only people who have an order from their doctor or have an appointment will be tested. ● A screening site at FedEx Field in Prince George’s County, run by the Prince George’s County Health Department, accepts patients by appointment only. Those who normally go to hospitals or emergency rooms to receive primary health care should call the county health department at (301) 883-6627 if they believe they have been exposed to the virus and are exhibiting symptoms.
A screening site at FedEx Field in Prince George’s County, run by the Prince George’s County Health Department, will accept patients by appointment only. Those who normally go to hospitals or emergency rooms to receive primary health care should call the county health department at (301) 883-6627 if they believe they have been exposed to and are exhibiting symptoms associated with this virus.
● Kaiser Permanente has testing sites for its members in Gaithersburg, Largo and South Baltimore, with the same hours and criteria as in Virginia.● Kaiser Permanente has testing sites for its members in Gaithersburg, Largo and South Baltimore, with the same hours and criteria as in Virginia.
● Adventist HealthCare Shady Grove Medical Center has coronavirus testing only for critically ill patients who are likely to need hospitalization, said spokeswoman Lydia Parris. The hospital has no community testing sites, she said. ● Adventist HealthCare Shady Grove Medical Center has coronavirus testing only for critically ill patients who are likely to need hospitalization, said spokeswoman Lydia Parris.
● The National Guard has set up a screening and testing location in the Washington Redskins stadium’s parking lot. Tests are available only by preregistration through a physician.● The National Guard has set up a screening and testing location in the Washington Redskins stadium’s parking lot. Tests are available only by preregistration through a physician.
● MedStar Health on March 27 opened a drive-through testing tent in the parking lot next to the Pauline Betz Addie Tennis Center at 7801 Democracy Blvd. in Bethesda. It is open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Patients can only be tested after being screened on MedStar’s online platform or being referred by primary-care providers. ● MedStar Health has a drive-through testing tent in the parking lot next to the Pauline Betz Addie Tennis Center at 7801 Democracy Blvd. in Bethesda. Patients must be screened on MedStar’s online platform or referred by primary-care providers.
● Starting Wednesday, Montgomery County health officials began testing at a drive-through site in the Wheaton Community Recreation Center. Those tests are being done by appointment only. ● Montgomery County health officials are also testing at a drive-through site in the Wheaton Community Recreation Center and the Upcounty Regional Services Center in Germantown, by appointment only.
● On Monday, Montgomery County will open another drive-through testing site at the Upcounty Regional Services Center in Germantown, also by appointment only. ● PM Pediatrics has testing sites at 12254 Rockville Pike in Rockville (301-230-2767) and at 1803 York Road in the Lutherville-Timonium area (443-432-2767).
● PM Pediatrics has three testing sites in Maryland. Patients of any age must first get a telemedicine consult.
The first is in Rockville, at 12254 Rockville Pike. Hours for testing are between 10:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. daily. Testing information for patients available between 4 p.m. and 10 p.m. daily. Phone: (301) 230-2767. ●Holy Cross Health hospitals, in Silver Spring and Germantown, have tents to triage patients with influenza-like illnesses, including the coronavirus. Patients then may be tested in the emergency room, spokeswoman Kristin Feliciano said. People should first contact their primary-care provider and call the hospital before turning up there.
The second site is in Annapolis, at 2301A Forest Drive, open daily between 8 a.m. and 10 p.m. ● Suburban Hospital in Bethesda, part of the Johns Hopkins network, offers testing for patients who do not need emergency care and who have been referred by their Johns Hopkins doctor.
The third location is in the Lutherville-Timonium area, at 1803 York Road. Hours for testing are between 10:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. daily. For patients seeking information on tests, hours are between 10 a.m. and 8 p.m. daily. Phone: (443) 432-2767. ● The private health-care provider Kelly Goodman NP & Associates is doing drive-through testing at the Waldorf School in Bethesda, available Wednesdays and Fridays. Their Clarksville, Md., office will also offer drive-through testing on Fridays. To schedule a test, call (202) 684-7167. Do you have additional information about testing sites in the District, Maryland or Virginia? Please send it to debbi.wilgoren@washpost.com. This article is being updated as new information becomes available.
Patients of any age may be tested at the above locations if they register for a telemedicine consult at this site. Kyle Swenson, Erin Cox and Rebecca Tan contributed to this report.
●Holy Cross Health hospitals, in Silver Spring and Germantown, have tents to triage patients with influenza-like illnesses, including the coronavirus. Patients then may be tested in the emergency room, spokeswoman Kristin Feliciano said, but the hospitals are not set up to receive walk-in community members looking for tests. Anyone suspecting they have symptoms should first contact their primary-care provider and should call the hospital before turning up there.
● Suburban Hospital in Bethesda, part of the Johns Hopkins network, offers testing for patients who do not need emergency care and who have been referred by their Johns Hopkins doctor specifically for covid-19 testing.
● The private health-care provider Kelly Goodman NP & Associates is doing drive-through testing at the Waldorf School in Bethesda, available Wednesdays and Fridays. Their Clarksville, Md., office will also offer drive-through testing on Fridays. To schedule a test, call (202) 684-7167.
This is a developing story. It will be updated as new information becomes available.
Kyle Swenson, Erin Cox, Darran Simon and Rebecca Tan contributed to this report.