INDEPENDENCE, Ky. — The first drive-thru COVID-19 testing site in Northern Kentucky opened in Kenton County on Wednesday.
At his news conference Wednesday, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said the facility tested 201 people on its first day with a "significant" number of appointments to be tested in the coming days.
The tests, which are administered by appointment only, will be conducted until Saturday at Summit View Academy at 5006 Madison Pike in Independence.
People with symptoms (dry cough, fever and shortness of breath, to name a few) can call 1-888-852-2567 to determine if they are eligible to make an appointment to receive a test. Click here to make an appointment online.
The testing site is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. until Saturday. Officials only have about 250 tests to administer per day, and they are expecting tests to be in high demand.
To be eligible for a test, you have to show signs of COVID-19 and fall into one of these categories:
- You are over the age of 65
- You have chronic health conditions (asthma or diabetes, for example)
- You are a healthcare worker or first responder
The tests are free and results are expected to come back in 48 hours.
As of 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, there were 226 cases of COVID-19 in Northern Kentucky, including 101 cases in Kenton County, 50 cases in Campbell County, 61 cases in Boone County and 14 cases in Grant County, according to the Northern Kentucky Health Department.
From those four counties, 18 people have died from complications related to COVID-19.
The drive-thru testing site is an initiative of Gov. Andy Beshear; it’s the second site of its kind to open in Kentucky next to the Frankfort location.
Dr. Lynne Saddler, district director of health, said people with symptoms associated with COVID-19 are the only people who should receive testing.
“Testing is NOT recommended for individuals who do not have symptoms associated with COVID-19,” Saddler said in a news release. “This is because even if the individual was exposed to COVID-19, they might not yet have enough of the virus in their system to produce a positive test result. Someone may test negative, only to become ill a few days later, potentially unknowingly spreading COVID-19 to their close contacts.”
