A drive-thru COVID testing site is coming to Schuylkill County, starting Sunday.
The Pennsylvania Dept. of Health announced this week that it’s opening a drive-thru testing site at Schuylkill Intermediate Unit 29 in Mar Lin. Testing starts at 9 a.m. Sunday, Dec. 27 and runs through 6 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 31, New Year’s Eve.
There’s a limit of 450 tests that will be conducted each day for the duration of the drive-thru testing location. People who want to get tested will undergo the “mid-nasal passage swab PCR test”, according to the Health Dept.
Schuylkill County was 1 of 5 selected for the drive-thru testing sites. The others include Beaver, Clearfield, Juniata, and Potter counties. Testing sites in Clearfield and Juniata counties will also permit walk-in testing.
The state is rotating these drive-thru COVID testing sites week to week. The goal, according to information from the Health Dept. is to cover 61 counties in a 12-week period.
Drive-Thru COVID Testing Site Coming to Schuylkill County
Schuylkill County was likely picked for this round of drive-thru testing due to a higher-than-most percent positivity rate on COVID tests over the last several weeks. According to information from the state’s COVID Early Warning Monitoring site, Schuylkill County’s percent positivity rate on COVID tests from Dec. 18-24 is 25.8%. That’s the 3rd highest in Pennsylvania, trailing only Perry and Adams counties. The statewide average positivity rate is 15.1%.
Limited Testing Available
The state says that the 450 daily tests are available on a first come-first serve basis. Tests are free of charge and no appointments are necessary. Anyone 3 years of age and older can get a test and people don’t need to show any symptoms of COVID-19 in order to receive a test.
After the Test
If you do get a COVID-19 test at this drive-thru facility in Mar Lin, the state says you’re supposed to basically stay at home until you hear the results. They say to self-quarantine in a room by yourself until you learn of the results. People who live in the house with you should also quarantine, the Health Dept. says.
People who test positive will get a phone call from the company contracted to conduct the drive-thru testing site, AMI. Emails will be sent to those testing negative.
Test results typically return in 2-7 days, the state says.
Schuylkill County Drive-Thru COVID Testing Location
The exact address of the drive-thru COVID testing location in Schuylkill County from Dec. 27-31 is:
Schuylkill Intermediate Unit 29
17 Maple Ave.
Pottsville, PA 17901
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Photo: License purchased via Depositphotos
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