INDIANAPOLIS — Not feeling well? Wondering if your symptoms might be COVID-19?
Getting tested is recommended, but not necessarily easy. At-home tests are hard to come by. So might be an appointment with your doctor or pharmacy.
There are several drive-thru options, but be prepared to wait.
People of all ages with COVID concerns offered up their nostrils for confirmation or peace of mind Wednesday at the Cottage Corner Health Center, just south of Fountain Square.
Leslie Ellis traveled for Christmas, but was vigilant about taking precautions. Still, she was in line to get a COVID-19 test.
"I woke up today aching all over,” said Ellis. “And I work as a nanny, so we want to make sure the kids are protected, the grandparents are protected. So, I'm just dotting my i's and crossing my t's."
This state-funded testing site, operated by Gravity Diagnostics, is open at the Cottage Corner Health Center Tuesday through Saturday, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. They do not offer appointments or rapid tests. While it is normally a drive-thru testing site, with the windy and cold conditions Wednesday, people were brought inside for the nose swab test.
They are testing up to 500 people a day. The wait was only about a half-hour Wednesday morning but can be over two hours. The high volume of tests being shipped to the lab has delayed results from one day up to three days for turnaround. Test results are delivered by email.
"I tested for COVID [with an] at-home test yesterday,” said Brian Robbins. “I told my work about it, and they said, ‘Hey, you need a real test.’ So that's why I came down here to this, to get the real test. Unfortunately, they said three days to find out."
"I'm happy that we're swabbing 500 people a day, because that means they're doing their job to make sure they don't have COVID and not spread it,” said phlebotomist Ashley Smallwood.
At the Marion County Public Health Department headquarters, the drive-thru for PCR COVID-19 testing looked more like a parking lot. About 40 cars waited in lines. They are averaging about 300 tests a day, open Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Appointments are available, but not required. There is no rapid testing offered. People with an appointment said they waited an hour on Wednesday.
The best way to find a COVID-19 testing site is through the state's coronavirus website.