Houston COVID-19 testing delayed until noon due to severe weather

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Due to severe weather across the Houston area Wednesday, all coronavirus testing locations in the city have delayed opening until at least noon.

The testing landscape in Houston and the entire region is constantly changing. Although there is a wide variety of testing available to people who can afford private testing, public, free testing is more limited. By ABC13 analysis, a few counties in our region offer drive-thru testing that is free and accessible.

Harris County has a total of eleven testing sites at no cost. Fort Bend and Galveston County both have two sites. Most require you to pre-register, but there is no residency requirement. That means, you can drive in from a surrounding county and get tested. Here are the free and low-price testing sites, along with requirements as compiled by ABC13.

City of Houston

Both Delmar Stadium and Butler stadium offer free drive-thru testing. Their testing capacity is 1,000 a day. There is no cost for testing.

Testing at this location is open to everyone, even if you do not display COVID-19 symptoms. You must call ahead of time to get an identification code. If you do not have a code, you will not get tested. To get the code, call 832-393-4220.

Monday - Friday from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m and Saturday - Sunday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The City of Houston debuted a new mobile coronavirus testing unit, hoping to extend health services to underserved communities.

The site opened April 28 at the Kashmere Multi-Service Center off Lockwood.

Officials say there will be 100 tests available every day, and communities can either drive or walk up to the mobile unit.

The mobile testing site opens at 10 a.m., and it will remain open until 4 p.m., or until all of the tests run out.

All testing is free, and you don't need to be showing any symptoms or book an appointment to get tested.

The mobile testing unit will travel to the Hiram Clarke Multi-Service Center on May 5 - May 9, and the Third Ward Multi-Service Center from May 12 - May 16.

Harris County

There are Abbott Labs rapid testing at two Walgreens locations: Westheimer at Highway 6 and in Pasadena. You must be symptomatic and you must make an appointment before arriving. You can complete a self-assessment here.

Elsewhere in Harris County, testing sites in Baytown and Katy offer total capacity of 1,000 a day. Two pop-up sites in south Harris County and west Harris County will operate Friday and Saturday with a capacity of 200 total.

These pop-up locations change every three days. You must be symptomatic and you must complete a self-assessment at www.checkforcorona.com.

Fort Bend County

There's a testing site at the Fort Bend County fairgrounds in Rosenberg. You don't need to be experiencing COVID-19 symptoms in order to get tested, but you must pre-register by calling 281-238-2363.

Galveston County

There's a testing site at the Galveston County Health District and Fire Station No. 5. You also don't need to be experiencing COVID-19 symptoms in order to get tested at this location, but you must pre-register by calling 409-978-4080.

United Memorial Medical Center

UMMC is providing free, private drive-thru testing at five Houston locations and one location in Sugar Land.

Pre-screening is required before you get tested.

• UMMC Hospital, 510 W. Tidwell Rd

• Forest Brook Middle School, 7525 Tidwell Rd

• Sugar Land Smart Financial Center, 18111 Lexington Blvd

• Cullen Middle School, 6900 Scott St

• 1960 Physicians Associates, 837 Cypress Creek Pkwy
• Barnett Sport Complex, 6800 Fairway Houston

Legacy Community Health

Federally Qualified Health Clinic is providing low-cost testing on a sliding fee scale based on income. Walk-in or appointment testing is available by calling 832-548-5000.

Check which site is closest to you using their locator.

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Even without COVID-19 symptoms, you can still be tested at these sites