Saginaw County Health Department Offering Drive Through COVID-19 Testing

Health system partners in Saginaw County are offering drive through COVID-19 testing in certain locations.

Anyone experiencing fever, cough and shortness of breath should call their health care provider, who will assess patients for risk factors and direct them to where they can be tested.

Great Lakes Bay Health Centers began drive-through testing Tuesday, March 24 in the parking lot of the David R. Gamez Community Health Center at 501 Lapeer St. in Saginaw. Testing hours are 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Monday-Friday or until testing supplies run out each day.

Covenant Healthcare is testing at the Visiting Nurses Association at 502 Hamilton St. in Saginaw between 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. seven days a week.

The state of Michigan will offer another Saginaw based location for testing, which will be open 7 days a week from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. by appointment only. Patients referred by their provider will receive the address on their lab order form.

All patients wanting to be tested will need a lab order form from their health care provider.

Health department officials say they are trying to expand the number of tests in the community. The department and its partners will conduct contact tracing and monitoring for possible COVID-19 patients and their contacts. This allows earlier diagnosis of patients and also helps contain clusters of illness within a particular family or group.

The Health Department will also continue surveillance of the virus throughout the county, providing situational updates and guidance to the community.