Texas Tech’s COVID-19 Testing Team is offering free drive-up and walk-up COVID-19 sample testing at the downtown City of Lubbock Health Department.
Texas Tech University's COVID-19 Testing Team, housed within The Institute of Environmental and Human Health (TIEHH), has established a drive-up and walk-up COVID-19 testing station at the City of Lubbock Health Department, 806 18th St.
Testing is available to the general public free of charge, regardless of insurance status. Individuals may be tested for COVID-19 for any reason, including travel and suspected exposure, whether or not they exhibit symptoms. The laboratory will provide official documentation certifying an individual's test result in full compliance with state and federal regulations and travel restrictions.
“With the region's relatively low vaccination rates and return to normal travel activities and recreation, anyone needing a test is welcome to visit the clinic,” said Steve Presley, director of TIEHH and chair of the Department of Environmental Toxicology.
No appointment is required to visit the testing site, which is open to drive-up and walk-up patients from noon to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday. Testing is expected to continue as long as the threat of COVID-19 transmission occurs in the community. Patients can choose to receive their test results by phone or email. Results are guaranteed within 24 hours, and are sometimes available in as few as 12 hours to accommodate rush requests. Bringing proof of ID is recommended but not required.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) established a nationwide Laboratory Response Network (LRN) in 1999 to investigate and protect against emerging diseases and other biological threats. As a component of the Texas Laboratory Response Network, Texas Tech's COVID-19 Testing Team was the state's first public health laboratory to provide COVID-19 testing, and since February 2020 it has remained the primary testing site for 67 counties in the Panhandle, Rolling Plains and Permian Basin.
While Texas Tech's COVID-19 Testing Team has seen a steady decline in COVID-19 samples from surrounding hospitals and clinics, they continue to test for COVID-19 on a daily basis and are studying positive samples from prior months to determine and monitor the occurrence of new variants in the region.
