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Avery County Health Department Offers Drive-Thru COVID-19 Testing Again June 9

By Tim Gardner

The Avery County Health Department has announced that it will be offering a second round of drive-thru testing for COVID-19 from 4:00 to 8:00 p.m. on Tuesday, June 9, outside the health department building, located between the Avery County Sheriff’s Department and the County Administration Building in Newland.

The ACHD conducted its first drive-through testing on May 7.

Any Avery County resident regardless of symptoms who would like to be tested for COVID-19 may take the test. A physician’s order is not required to take the exam, according to ACHD officials.

Patients will be asked to remain in their vehicle and a nurse will take a nasal swab for COVID-19 testing. Results will not be immediately available, and patients will receive a phone call with their test results within a few days following the test.

The tests will be administered on a first-come, first-served basis and will be done with a nasal swab method, where a cotton swab is placed on each side of the patient’s nose and twisted three times.

Also, according to Avery Health Department officials, this may not be the last COVID-19 test conducted–largely depending on how longer the pandemic rages.

Medicaid/insurance cards will be accepted at the testing event, while uninsured patients may also receive the test at no cost, with billing through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA).

Avery County, which currently has four COVID-19 cases, was the last of North Carolina’s 100 counties to have a confirmed case.