Dougherty Co. Health Department’s COVID testing kiosk up and running

ALBANY, Ga. (WALB) - If you want a fast and convenient COVID-19 testing option, the Department of Public Health has made it easy to get results.

“It gives people in the community an opportunity to dispense COVID-19 test kits free of charge,” Meghan Herendeen, health department public information officer, said.

The “test and go” COVID test kiosk opened to the public in August. This is the only test kit kiosk in Albany that dispenses PCR test kits.

“The kiosk will dispense a test kit that contains a nasal swab similar to what people are familiar with in the at-home test kits,” Herendeen said.

Inside the test kit, you can find a small plastic bag to put your nasal swab in. Once you finish packing the test, you can take it back to the kiosk to be collected and taken to the lab.

“People liked the fact that they can come in and get a test kit any time of day. This way if their work schedule doesn’t allow them to get tested during business hours, they still have an opportunity to test for free,” Herendeen said.

The tests that come from the kiosk are PCR tests, so they’re not like the regular at-home tests you find at a pharmacy. It takes about two days to get your results back.

“A lot of times, people who use these at-home test kits, those results aren’t reported to public health. With this going through the lab, those will be reported,” Herendeen said.

If you need to get a test, the kiosk is open 24 hours a day and is located behind the health department.

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