Centre County’s free COVID testing site relocates, focuses on those who interact with schools

Centre County’s free COVID-19 testing site has moved to a new location and will focus on providing tests to a specific group of people.

After months of it being located in Bellefonte, the testing site is now located at 60 Decibel Road, State College, and is open 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays. It’s scheduled to be there through July 31, 2023.

The site is available through a partnership between the Pennsylvania Association of Intermediate Units, the Pennsylvania Department of Health, Central Intermediate Unit and Decibel Partners, LP. The site will be staffed by AMI Expeditionary Health Care.

“Current testing site locations are focused on ensuring K-12 students, staff, and families have access to free COVID testing within their communities,” the Pennsylvania Department of Health’s website states. But the testing remains open to everyone at the school community testing center.

Three different forms of free testing are available at the site: point-of care tests (where tests are performed and results are analyzed on-site,) distribution of at-home COVID-19 antigen tests, and administration of the mid-nasal passage swab PCR testing, according to the website.

The testing site is open first come, first serve, to anyone ages 2 and up who wants a test. PCR tests are available to those ages 3 and up. Patients do not need to be experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 to be tested, the website states. The site can test up to 450 patients each day.

Patients are “encouraged” to bring a photo ID, but it is not required to be tested, according to the website.

The turnaround time for testing results is two to seven days after testing, the website states, and those who receive the antigen point-of care test will receive their results on site.