Need to get a COVID test? Here’s where you can find one around Charlotte
As the highly contagious delta variant spreads rapidly in the Charlotte region, the daily demand for COVID-19 testing is also rising.
At the start of August, an average of 2,700 COVID-19 tests were being administered each day in Mecklenburg County. That’s a 130% increase compared to the start of July.
But the testing demand is still just a fraction of the volume seen around the holidays, including an average of over 5,500 COVID tests administered daily before Christmas.
Fully vaccinated people should get tested immediately if they have COVID-19 symptoms, the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services recommends. A slew of symptoms — including fever, headache, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, and loss of taste or smell — may take between two to 14 days to develop after people are exposed to the virus.
Unvaccinated people should also get tested immediately if they are experiencing COVID symptoms, N.C. DHHS recommends.
If unvaccinated people are exposed to the virus but do not have symptoms, they should wait at least six days and then get tested, the state says.
Here’s a guide to testing locations around Charlotte.
StarMed Healthcare
StarMed Healthcare offers ongoing COVID-19 testing at:
▪ StarMed Healthcare Eastland: 5344 Central Ave., Suite B.
▪ StarMed Healthcare Freemore: 4001 Tuckaseegee Rd.
▪ Bojangles Coliseum parking lot: 2700 E. Independence Blvd.
▪ Mecklenburg County Public Health: 2845 Beatties Ford Rd.
For the latest dates and times, visit Starmed.care/testing.
Atrium Health
Schedule a COVID-19 test online at Myatriumhealth.org if:
▪ You are experiencing symptoms.
▪ You were exposed to the virus but do not have symptoms.
▪ You need a test for school, work or travel reasons.
You can also schedule a test by calling your primary care provider. If you don’t have a doctor, call 704-468-8888.
Novant Health
If you have COVID-19 symptoms or were exposed to the virus, contact your primary care provider.
Novant Health also offers COVID-19 testing at multiple urgent care and walk-in clinics throughout Charlotte. For a list of locations, visit Novanthealth.org/home/coronavirus-resources.
Pharmacies
You can head to a nearby pharmacy to get tested, but you’ll likely need to schedule an appointment in advance. Some options include:
▪ CVS: Schedule an appointment at CVS.com/minuteclinic. Molecular tests are given in drive-thru lanes, and results typically take one to two days. Rapid tests results are ready within a few hours, but there’s stricter criteria for when this testing is allowed.
▪ Walgreens: Schedule a drive-thru test at Walgreens.com. Rapid antigen and traditional molecular tests are available.
Mecklenburg County health department
Mecklenburg County Public Health maintains a COVID-19 testing locator dashboard at Mecknc.gov/covid-19.
State health department
N.C. DHHS maintains search tools to find no-cost community testing events and testing sites. Visit Covid19.ncdhhs./about-covid-19/testing.
People ages 18 and older can request a free at-home COVID-19 testing kit at Pixel.labcorp.com/nc. Parents or guardians can also request kits for children ages 2-17.
This story was originally published August 11, 2021 at 12:40 PM.