Lines too long for COVID tests? Kansas adds more sites, staff in Johnson County

COVID-19 continues to surge in Kansas. As the state tries to mitigate a whopping 7,800 cases per day state officials have announced that they are taking steps to make testing more accessible to residents.

In addition to increasing staff, the Kansas Department of Health and Environment will also open four new testing sites throughout the state so residents can more easily find a test and avoid longer wait times, including two in Johnson County.

These new sites opening require appointments and offer PCR tests:

Shawnee Mission Park at 7900 Renner Rd. in Shawnee is open now. Appointments are required. PCR testing will be available from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. everyday of the week.

Roeland Park Community Center at 4859 Rosewood Dr. opens on Jan. 21. Appointments are required. Testing will be available from 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 7:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Fridays. The site will also be open 8:30 am to 12:30 p.m. on

Staffing will also increase at the sites at Johnson County Community College at 12345 College, Blv. in Overland Park and Church of the Resurrection at 13720 Roe Ave. in Leawood.

Both sites are open from 7:00 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday.

The state’s health department said in a statement that it will be reaching out to local labs for help processing the tests and working to secure an indoor location for testing to avoid closures from severe cold weather.

For those who are interested in getting a COVID-19 test sent to their home, COVIDtests.gov is offering four free at-home tests to every home in the nation. To see where else you can get a COVID-19 test in the Kansas City area, check out this map below:

What other questions do you have about this latest COVID-19 wave in Kansas City? Let us know at kcq@kcstar.com or with the form below.