Lexington will soon have two new COVID-19 drive-through testing sites. Get the details.
Fayette County will expand its novel coronavirus testing in the next few days, thanks to two new drive-through testing sites.
One of those sites will have a specific focus on Fayette County’s black community, which has been hit hard by the novel coronavirus.
More than 30 percent of all COVID-19 patients in Fayette County are black. Yet, the county’s black population is only 15 percent.
A new drive-through site at the Bluegrass Community and Technical College at 500 Newtown Pike will begin Monday and will be open from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. That site was picked specifically because of its proximity to many neighborhoods with larger black populations, said Mayor Linda Gorton at a Thursday press conference offering more details about the new drive-through test sites.
Testing will continue there until May 8.
Anyone can come to the BCTC testing site, Gorton said. It is free. It will be run by Kroger. Those seeking to obtain a test can register at the KrogerHealth website or by calling 1-888-852-2567. People must make an appointment or register before coming to the BCTC site, officials said.
Widespread testing is key to reopening Lexington, she said.
“More testing is something that we need to end stay-at-home restrictions,” Gorton said. “Although this is still not the widespread testing we need, it is a step in the right direction.”
Similar testing sites focusing on the black community will also open in Louisville, which has seen similar disproportionate impacts on its black population, Gov. Andy Beshear announced Wednesday.
“We have seen the disproportionate impact – especially in the death rate – of this virus and so the commitment we are making teaming with Louisville and Lexington is that we are going to run more tests in that week, with the capacity of 1,500 per week in each of those locations,” Beshear said Wednesday.
State data released Wednesday shows that almost 18 percent of Kentucky patients who have died from the coronavirus are black. Yet, the black population is about 8 percent of Kentucky’s total population.
“That indicates that we die at a rate of about two times than the rest of the population,” said Sen. Reggie Thomas, D-Lexington.
Rev. Joseph Owens of Shiloh Baptist Church urged Lexington’s black population to get tested.
“Please protect yourself,” Owens said. “Wash your hands. Keep your hands off your face. Keep your distance.”
Lexington-Fayette Urban County Councilman James Brown said COVID-19’s disproportionate impact on Lexington and Kentucky’s black community was a result of decades of inequitable access to health care.
Brown said those long-standing inequalities and injustices must be addressed to stop disproportionate impacts in minority health outcomes.
Walgreens Lexington site opens Friday
Through a separate partnership with Walgreens, the pharmacy company will offer a drive-through testing option in Lexington starting Friday. The location is 2296 Executive Drive. It was formerly a Rite Aid.
It is the only Walgreens site that will offer testing. No insurance is required.
The site is open seven days a week, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. People do not have to register before seeking a test. It is for people with symptoms over the age of 18, health care workers or first responders. It is not for anyone who wants a test, said Lexington-Fayette County Urban County Councilwoman Angela Evans, whose district includes the Executive Drive site.
Visit walgreens.com/coronavirus for additional information.
This story was originally published April 23, 2020 at 1:56 PM.
