Houston coronavirus testing sites remain open despite supply chain hiccups

As testing capacity remains somewhat limited, Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner said he has turned to state authorities and to soliciting bids from private providers. He said the city was recently outbid for a shipment from a private supplier.

Turner said widespread testing is important in determining the extent of the virus’s reach in the area. It currently has a $2 million bid out for supplies.

Lagging capacity has been a concern for local leaders since early on in the outbreak, Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo told reporters in March. 20.

“I don’t want to create false hope that we are ready right now to have a radical increase in testing,” she said. “We are unfortunately not.”

In the coming weeks, Persse said the city hopes to get on a weekly shipment schedule that will allow its first drive-thru site to operate at its capacity of 250 tests per day. If additional capacity becomes possible, the city will add another drive-thru site, Persee said.

In the first week of operation, numbers provided by Houston Health Departmetn show that the city site was able to meet demand for testing without turning people away.

In addition to the city and county’s free drive-thru sites, other private providers are offering testing. Find more information about testing options in the Houston area here.

Persse said anyone interested in donating medical supplies to area hospitals can contact [email protected].