COVID-19 testing begins Saturday at Tacoma Dome for at-risk population, healthcare workers
PIERCE COUNTY, Wash. — People at higher risk at COVID-19, health care workers and community members on the frontlines of the crisis can be tested for the virus starting Saturday morning at the Tacoma Dome.
The Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department is holding five-day drive-thru testing starting Saturday morning.
In addition to healthcare workers, the department said people working in “critical infrastructure” will be eligible for COVID-19 tests, including grocery store workers, people in homeless shelters, restaurant workers, gas station clerks and public utilities employees.
“Healthcare workers, first responders and people who provide critical infrastructure are on the frontlines of helping residents in need during this public health emergency,” said Jessica Gehle, incident commander for the Health Department’s COVID-19 response. “It’s vital we prioritize this testing for them to ensure they are able to protect the health of our communities.”
Health officials said people over 60, people with underlying health conditions and pregnant woman can be tested at the Tacoma Dome. Testing is intended for people who have symptoms—fever, cough and shortness of breath.
“We want to continue to ensure we do what we can to slow the disease spread in our community,” Pierce County Executive Bruce Dammeier said. “We are pleased to work with the City of Tacoma, the Health Department, and our state and federal partners to make more testing available for our residents.”
Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department, which is operating the site, requires people to complete an online survey to find out if they’re eligible for testing and to register.
Qualifying people will receive a testing identifier number to present at the site. All people must arrive in a vehicle and provide a valid government-issued photo identification. The test is completed using a nasal swab while participants remain in their vehicles. People who arrive without proper testing identification will not get tested.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency provided 8,000 test kits to Washington state earlier this week. A limited number of COVID-19 tests will be available for the five-day event
The health department said more options for COVID-19 testing continue to become available.