Four New Pop-Up Testing Sites Announced as Covid-19 Case Count Rises to 2,322
May 21, 2020 - San Antonio
Step right up. Metro Health and the San Antonio Fire Department continue to provide free COVID-19 testing now through May 30. The Welcome Center at San Antonio College (pictured) is one of the sites. On Wednesday, the number of confirmed Covid-19 cases in Bexar County rose to 2,322. Photo: Alamo Colleges.
By Jade Esteban Estrada - Staff Writer, San Antonio Sentinel
In a continued effort to reach underserved and minority communities, the San Antonio Metropolitan Health District and the San Antonio Fire Department’s Mobile Integrated Health Program (MIH) announced four new locations and dates for walk-up Covid-19 testing. These free services will be in operation from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursday-Saturday, May 21 through May 30. No appointment is necessary. The testing sites will be located on the Southwest Side, the Southeast Side, the Medical Center, and Tobin Hill. Individuals do not need to have symptoms of Covid-19 in order to be tested.
The mobile units will have the capability to test 175 people per day. This is a 25 test-kit increase from last weekend’s pop-up testing capacity, which served the city’s East and Southeast Side.
Here is the list of the four new pop-up testing locations that will be available to residents over the next two weekends:
May 21-23
Metro Health Walk-Up Site
Palo Alto College (Gym)
1400 W Villaret Blvd
10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Walk-up, no appointment necessary
Metro Health Walk-Up Site
Nellie Reddix Center
4711 Sid Katz Drive
10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Walk-up, no appointment necessary
May 28-30
Metro Health Walk-Up Site
San Antonio College (Welcome Center)
1819 Main Avenue
10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Walk-up, no appointment necessary
Metro Health Walk-Up Site
Highlands High School
3118 Elgin Avenue
10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Walk-up, no appointment necessary
To see a list of all testing locations in Bexar County, visit the Metro Health Covid-19 website. Information may also be attained by calling 311 or the Metro Health Covid-19 hotline at 210-207-5779.
RELATED: New Mobile Covid-19 Testing Sites Aim to Reach Underserved and Minority Communities
The City of San Antonio also offers an online self-screening tool that can be found on their Covid-19 web page. This tool does not replace medical care if a person is feeling sick. A healthcare provider should be visited if symptoms worsen or if underlying medical conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure, lung disease, or heart disease is a factor in the person’s medical history.
Here are today’s numbers in Bexar County as of 7 p.m. Wednesday, May 20, 2020.
2,322 confirmed Covid-19 cases (+44)
1,095 cases are active
1,164 cases have been categorized as recovered
63 Covid-19 deaths (+1)
323 patients who have, at one time, been hospitalized for Covid-19
158 patients in ICU
73 patients on ventilators
52% of infected individuals are Hispanic
Source: Metro Health
Jade Esteban Estrada is a staff writer at the San Antonio Sentinel, where he covers public health and other citywide issues. He can be reached at jade@sasentinel.com.