Appointments for COVID tests hard to come by; here’s where you can go

With COVID-19 cases rising, the demand for testing is rising as well, and with no plans to open new testing sites, trying to get an appointment is almost impossible.

More than 17,000 new cases were reported in Florida on Thursday, not quite what doctors want to see.

“About two weeks ago is when I started thinking, gosh, we’re gonna have problems,” said Dr. Stephanie Stovall, interim chief of quality and safety at Lee Health.

Stovall, an infectious disease expert, said one concern is that more people are getting sick and needing a test, but there are fewer places to go.

“Lots of places had backed off and we weren’t doing as much testing out in our community.”

In recent months, most mass testing sites closed. If you want a free test, getting an appointment soon can be hard. Getting a Rapid test is even harder.

CVS’ website on Friday morning showed very few appointments available in Lee County for Rapid or PCR tests, which take two to three days for results.

Walgreens only offers PCR tests. They had a few stores with appointments Friday, but most were a few days from now.

The Department of Health and Curative also offer free PCR tests. All the rest cost more than $100 or your copay at urgent care.

Stovall said because of the delta variant, it’s not just unvaccinated people coming in to get tested.

“Vaccination prevents serious or severe disease, hospitalization and death. It’s never intended to prevent all infections. So there are breakthrough cases of infections.”

“It’s a little disheartening to see ourselves in this position again,” she said.

If you need a test, here’s where you can go:

To check for testing sites in your area, you can click here.

CVS: Free Rapid and PCR testing. Appointment only (usually available a few days out)

Walgreens: Free appointment only (usually available a few days out). No Rapid testing is available. Results take 1-3 days.

Curative provides testing at the following two locations:

• Cape Coral City Hall, 1020 Cultural Park Blvd.
• Lehigh Acres, 5146 Leonard Blvd S.
• Lee Health (appointment only), 4761 S. Cleveland Ave.
• Lee Health Kiosk in Cape Coral, 1682 NE Pine Island Rd.

Testing is free and is a pain-free oral swab. Appointments are helpful but not necessary by visiting www.curative.com. Results are provided by Curative in about 48 hours.

Any Lab Test Now, 13401 Summerlin Rd Suite 9, Fort Myers: PCR test only for travel use. Results take 2-3 days. Appointment required. Cost: $189

ARCPoint Labs of Fort Myers, 4350 Fowler St. Appointment only. Rapid test $125. PCR test $175 (results take 2-3 days).

Coastal Med Urgent Care, 811 Del Prado Blvd. S. No appointment needed. Billed to insurance. Rapid and PCR available.

FDOH-Lee: 3920 Michigan Ave.: PCR test for ages 2 and up, regardless of symptoms. Appointment required This site is open Monday through Friday. To schedule an appointment, call 239-461-6100.

Walmart/Quest: PCR test (Results take 2-3 days). This option is only available to those who do not currently have COVID-19 symptoms or known exposure to COVID-19, and are 18 years or older. This option is not for those participating in back-to-school or back-to-work programs. If not, it is $119.

Lee Convenient Urgent Care, 4771 S. Cleveland Ave.: No appointment needed. Billed to insurance. Rapid and PCR available.

MyTest Diagnostics, 9761 Gladiolus Drive. Appointment required. PCR test $149 (Results take 2-3 days).

Walmart, CVS and Walgreens also sell at-home test kits that can cost as little as $20.