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Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf and Health Sect. Rachel Levine are expected to be in northern Dauphin County on Thursday to announce the opening of a drive-thru COVID-19 testing site.
The site will be at the Walmart store in Elizabethville, along Route 209.
Drive-Thru COVID-19 Testing Coming to Elizabethville Walmart in Dauphin County
This drive-thru testing site will be the closest to Schuylkill County to open since the beginning of the pandemic back in March.
According to information from the Dept. of Health, there are 2 testing locations in Schuylkill County:
- MedExpress, Saint Clair
- Lehigh Valley Health Network, Cressona
There’s also a relatively nearby testing site in Hamburg at St. Luke’s Care Now. Lehigh Valley Health Network also has a testing site in Palmerton.
Approximately 13,000 Schuylkill County residents have been tested for the virus. Slightly more than 12,000 have gotten back a negative test result. As of Monday, Aug. 3, the Dept. of Health reports 862 people in Schuylkill County have tested positive for COVID-19. And 49 people locally have died.
In northern Dauphin County and western Schuylkill County, positive cases of COVID-19 have been rather limited. According to state data, here are totals for select locations (as of Aug. 3):
- Lykens: 30
- Elizabethville: 25
- Gratz: Less than 4
- Williamstown: 6
- Hegins: 15
- Sacramento: 7
- Klingerstown: 6
- Tower City: 19
- Pine Grove: 41
- Tremont: 6
Another drive-thru testing site in Wilkes-Barre closed back in May. It had been open for about a month before the state shut it down, deciding the service was needed elsewhere to manage potential outbreaks of the virus. The Rite-Aid store in Wilkes-Barre picked up where the state left, conducting its own drive-thru testing at its Plains location.
Local activist Marcus Riddell tells The Canary that both the Governor and Health Secretary will be on hand Thursday to announce the opening of the testing site in northern Dauphin County. The site is a short drive along Route 209 for many residents in western Schuylkill County. The Elizabethville Walmart is about a 50-minute drive west from Pottsville.
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PTFloridians
August 3, 2020 at 10:06 pm
Great…the Dynamic Duo says Hoax4ever…more tests mean nothing but $$$.
Canary Commenter
August 4, 2020 at 12:08 am
Really seems like a weird spot for a testing location, ain’t? If you’re going to do this, why not at the Walmart in Saint Clair?
Autumn Miller
August 5, 2020 at 12:40 pm
I guess we don’t have enough positive tests in Upper Dauphin County to support their narrative. Test more people who don’t need testing! The thing is, people up here are just DONE with all this. This site will close for lack of use just like the one mentioned in the article.
Lyn
August 5, 2020 at 2:15 pm
I live in northern Dauphin County. I don’t see the need for this testing site. People here are sick of Wolf and Levine and their ridiculous restrictions. These two are shameless and are ruining small businesses in our area. I hope plenty of people turn out to let them know exactly how we feel about them.