Oklahoma City-County Health Department Testing High-Risk Coronavirus Patients At State Fairgrounds

Oklahoma County residents considered high-risk and with coronavirus (COVID-19) symptoms were tested at the state fairgrounds this week. The mobile site near Northwest 10th Street and May Avenue was shut down for the weekend but will re-open on Monday morning.

The Bennett Event Center is home to Oklahoma County's only drive-thru coronavirus test site. Of the 10,000 test kits the state received, the Oklahoma City-County Health Department received a batch and opened a mobile site this week. 

“We saw 25 people on Wednesday, we ended up seeing 87 yesterday and today we are already at 61,” said L’Toya Knighten, Oklahoma City-County Health Department.

That number was early Friday afternoon before the site closed for the day.

Patients with symptoms must get a medical referral before showing up. They do not even have to leave their car.

“We have a process that we’ve developed and communicated with area physicians as well as to all Oklahoma County area hospitals,” said Knighten. “So, if you don’t have a doctor referral, unfortunately we won’t be able to test.” 

Knighten said it is also important to know they are only testing people the CDC considers high-risk. That includes healthcare workers, first responders, immunocompromised and citizens 65-years and older.

“We are sampling high risk individuals and then shipping off those samples to a private lab partner,” said Knighten.

Test results are coming back in about 48 hours.

Eventually county health officials want to open the site to everyone, but they have to wait for more test kits to come available.