FORT BEND COUNTY, Texas — Fort Bend County has opened a mega drive-thru COVID-19 testing site in Sugar Land in response to the growing demand for testing services.
The site is located at Brazos River Park at 18427 Southwest Freeway. It will be open Monday through Saturday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
NOTE: Fort Bend County does not perform rapid tests, only PCR tests.
Dr. Jacqueline Minter, Fort Bend County Health Authority, said Friday that the county’s COVID-19 cases increased 500 percent in the past three weeks.
The highly transmissible omicron variant now makes up more than 80 percent of the county’s novel coronavirus infections.
“Testing is important… because we just opened our schools,” said County Judge KP George, during a Friday afternoon press conference at the new site.
Judge George says the mega site offers an advantage over the county’s four smaller testing sites inside government buildings.
“It is outdoor,” he said. “(You) never get out of the car, and so it is much faster this way.”
Jerinda McDowell got tested with her adult daughter, who had symptoms and had been quarantining for about a week.
“The service was awesome,” said McDowell. “These ladies are professional, very, very nice, very accommodating.”
After trying pharmacies and other providers, McDowell said she and her daughter had been unable able to find a test until Friday
“So blessed,” said McDowell. “You hear about (mega sites) in Houston and Harris County, which is great for them, but out here in Fort Bend…I’m so glad that Fort Bend has got this out here for us.”
Rick Mahaffey got tested before heading out of town to visit his mother-in-law.
“They said within 48 hours, but likely maybe less,” said Mahaffey, when asked by KHOU when he’ll receive results.
Fort Bend County officials told KHOU results at county-run sites typically take 48 hours to arrive.
Davaco is partnering with the county to run the mega site.
The company’s president says the surge in cases is putting a major strain on labs around the country.
“We’ve experienced the same thing with our labs,” said Jordan Handel, President of Davaco. “We’re continuing as Davaco to hire more staff and be able to result back to patients as soon as possible.”
You must register for an appointment and you can do so by visiting this link.
You can also call 281-633-7795 for more information.
Mega COVID-19 testing sites in Houston area
There are several more mega COVID-19 testing sites in the Houston area. The Houston Health Department recently opened five to keep up with the demand.
Those sites are located at:
- Former Dave & Buster's (6010 Richmond Avenue)
- Delmar Stadium (2020 Magnum Rd.)
- Butler Stadium (13755 S Main St.)
- Minute Maid Park, Lot C (610 St. Emanuel St.)
- Kingwood Community Center (4102 Rustic Woods Dr.)
For more COVID-19 testing options, click here.