Here’s where you can get a free COVID test in Fort Worth and Tarrant County this week
So you’re back home from your holiday trip. You feel your throat tickle and your nose run. But you can’t find a COVID-19 testing appointment. What now?
Tarrant County Public Health reopened after being closed for the holidays, and there are several other options for testing so that you can get some peace of mind to return to the office, run errands or get together with friends.
After all the holiday travel, testing sites across the U.S. are experiencing shortages. Since the start of the pandemic, more than 380,000 Tarrant County residents have tested positive for COVID-19. The omicron variant is driving a new surge in cases here.
The Star-Telegram put together a list of walk-in and drive-through sites where you can get tested this week in the Fort Worth area, many of which are free.
If you developed COVID-19 symptoms or got exposed to someone who might have COVID-19, and you want to get tested immediately, visit one of these locations. Don’t forget to bring a photo ID.
According to Tarrant County Public Health, you should consider getting tested if you have COVID-19 symptoms (a fever of 100.4 or greater, cough and shortness of breath), or you:
- are employed as a healthcare or essential worker;
- if you were exposed to COVID-19;
- are over 65;
- have chronic health conditions.
Get tested at a health center, pharmacy or community site
Make an appointment at a health center
At these health centers, you can get a rapid test that provides results the same day, or a lab test that returns results within three to four days. Both are by appointment only. They’ll swab your nose or mouth. If you want to book a test, the center recommends calling five days in advance.
- Northside Community Health Center — 2332 Beverly Hills Drive, testing provided Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 1:20 to 3:20 p.m. To make an appointment, fill out an online form or call 817-625-4254. The center is booked for Jan. 4 and 5.
Arlington Community Health Center — 979 N. Cooper St., testing provided Mondays and Fridays from 1:20 to 3:20 p.m. Their earliest availability is Jan. 7. To make an appointment, fill out an online form or call 817-625-4254
Make an appointment at a pharmacy
- CVS — To make an appointment on cvs.com, enter your ZIP code, answer some questions and select your appointment date. You’ll find a list of your nearest locations and available times. Because of high demand for rapid tests, you’ll most likely be taking a lab test with results one or two days later. Store hours vary, so try to call beforehand.
- Grand Avenue Pharmacy — Six Fort Worth locations provide walk-in rapid and PCR testing daily with varying hours. The pharmacy at 2707 Decatur Ave. is the only location open 24 hours. It doesn’t require appointments, but you can register online with your information first to make the process quicker. Because the pharmacy operates on a first-come, first-served basis, it’s best to call 817-523-8022 before leaving to ask about wait times for your location. The wait can be up to several hours.
- Walgreens — Go to walgreens.com to make an appointment for a drive-thru rapid test that takes less than 24 hours, or a lab test that may take slightly longer. Rapid antigen tests that give you results in about one hour are least likely to be available.
- Walmart — To make an appointment for a drive-thru test, go to questdiagnostics.com. You’ll answer a few questions to see if you’re eligible for free testing and you’ll receive an email with your appointment details after you book it. Because of a lack of availability in the Fort Worth area, you may have to wait a few days to get your test. Rapid antigen tests are only available at limited locations.
If you can’t find an appointment at the above pharmacies, go to doineedacovid19test.com to find a local independent pharmacy that provides testing near you.
Go to a community testing site
Most community testing sites provide results in one to two days. If you can’t make an appointment online, call 888-702-9042 to book it by phone.
White Settlement — 1501 S. Cherry Lane, open Monday through Thursday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., walk-ins are accepted but online appointments are encouraged to minimize wait times.
Hulen Mall — 4800 S. Hulen St., open daily 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., make an online appointment before going.
Texas Christian University — 2820 Stadium Drive, open weekdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., make an appointment online.
Discovery Village Senior Center — 201 Watermere Drive, open weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., make an appointment online.
Parks Mall — 1375 W. Interstate 20, open Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., walk-ins are accepted but online appointments are encouraged to minimize wait times.
To find your closest location, visit book.curative.com, texas.fulgentgenetics.com or mycovidappointment.com and enter your address, or type “covid testing near me” in your Google Maps search bar.
Get tested at a county or city site
Tarrant County Public Health clinics opened back up for their regular hours after New Year’s Day. To find your nearest open location, call 817-248-6299.
Because of increased demand, the county has opened three vendor locations in Fort Worth, Arlington and Bedford. Testing sites also are open on Tarrant County College campuses.
Most provide nasal swab tests, with only one clinic providing a saliva test. They use PCR testing, a viral diagnostic test that uses a technique called NAAT to determine if a person is infected. Your results should be sent to you 24 to 48 hours after your test by text or email. You’ll most likely get the results the same evening or the next afternoon. If you don’t get your results by then, call your testing location.
Fort Worth
Walk-In
Southwest Public Health Clinic — 6551 Granbury Road, open weekdays 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., walk-ins available.
Bagsby-Williams Public Health Clinic — 3212 Miller Ave., open weekdays 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., walk-ins available.
Drive-Thru
Resource Connection Parking LOT D — 1500 Circle Drive, open Wednesday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., appointments encouraged through 877-862-4647 or texas.fulgentgenetics.com
Tarrant County College Trinity River Campus — 300 Trinity River, open Monday to Thursday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., appointment required through mycovidappointment.com
Tarrant County College South Campus — 5301 Campus Drive, usually open Monday to Friday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. but this week closed Jan. 3 and open Jan. 8, appointment required through mycovidappointment.com
Tarrant County College Northwest Campus — 4801 Marine Creek Parkway, open Monday to Friday 12 to 7 p.m. and Saturday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., appointment required through mycovidappointment.com
City testing sites
Testing sites hosted by the City of Fort Worth are open to everyone. The city is partnering with Vault Health. Saliva tests will be administered at no cost, with or without insurance and appointments are not needed. Here are the new locations, days and times:
TEXRail North Side Station — 3001 Decatur Ave., open weekdays 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Como Community Center — 4660 Horne St., open Tuesdays and Thursdays 1 to 4:30 p.m.
FWISD Scarborough-Handley Fieldhouse — 6201 Craig St., open Tuesdays and Thursdays 8 to 11:30 a.m.
Arlington
Walk-In
Arlington Adult Health Services — 2596 E. Arkansas Lane, open weekdays 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., walk-ins available
University of Texas at Arlington — 435 Spaniolo Drive, open all week 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., appointments encouraged through 888-702-9042 or curative.com
Drive-Thru
Tarrant County College Southeast Campus — 2100 Southeast Parkway, open Tuesday to Thursday 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 2 to 6 p.m., Monday at 12 p.m., Friday at 9 a.m. and the next two Saturdays at 9 a.m., appointment encouraged through mycovidappointment.com
Ben Thanh Market — 1818 E. Pioneer Parkway, Suite 100, open Monday to Friday 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., appointments encouraged through 877-862-4647 or texas.fulgentgenetics.com
Hurst
- Tarrant County College Northeast Campus — 828 West Harwood Road, open Monday to Sunday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., drive-thru, appointment required through mycovidappointment.com
Bedford
Northeast Annex — 837 Brown Trail, open Wednesday to Friday 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., drive-thru, appointments encouraged through 877-862-4647 or texas.fulgentgenetics.com.
Watauga
Watauga Public Health Center — 6601 Watauga Road, open weekdays 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., walk-ins available
Burleson
- Burleson Fire Station #3 — 245 Lakewood Drive, open Monday, Wednesday and Friday 9 to 10 a.m., appointment required by sign-up through burlesontx.com or 682-312-2780
Lake Worth
Northwest Public Health Center — 3800 Adam Grubb Road, open weekdays 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., walk-ins available
Take a test at home
While the results are not as reliable, you can purchase an at-home COVID-19 test kit from a pharmacy if you’re unable to take a test in person. You can pick it up or have it delivered to you.
- BinaxNOW — $24 at Walgreens, comes with two nasal swab tests that give you results in 15 minutes
- QuickVue — $24 at Walgreens, comes with two nasal swab tests that give you results in 10 minutes
- Flowflex — $10 at CVS, comes with one nasal swab test that give you results in 15 minutes
- Ellume — $39 at CVS, comes with one nasal swab test that give you results in 15 minutes
- InteliSwab — $14 at Walmart, comes with two nasal swab tests that give you results in 30 minutes
This story was originally published December 27, 2021 at 3:33 PM.
