Ahead of Christmas and New Year’s gatherings, San Antonio Metro Health recommends people get tested before going to large parties or visiting grandparents or other elderly relatives.
With the omicron variant spreading, local health officials also recommend testing five days after exposure to a person who tested positive for COVID-19 or as soon as someone develops COVID-19 symptoms. If you need a test, here are your local options:
- The city of San Antonio’s COVID-19 webpage lists all no-cost community testing locations. Most require an appointment, and results take one to three days, so it may be essential to act quickly if you want to get results before Christmas.
- However, same-day PCR tests are available at the Curative American Legion site, 3518 Fredericksburg Road, and the Pittman-Sullivan site, 659 S. New Braunfels Ave. These are considered the “gold standard” for tests, and also include an email or text of the results once they become available. Just be prepared for longer wait times due to demand, according to Metro Health.
- Tests at clinics and urgent care centers — available for a fee — are also listed at the city website (just scroll down a bit), and many accept walk-ins. Costs vary. Be sure to check whether you’re obtaining a PCR or rapid antigen test if that matters to you.
- A map of all San Antonio testing locations as well as a map of all free testing locations are also available online.
- For those who want to avoid lines and scheduling issues, home tests are available at drug and grocery stores and results are generally available in 10-15 minutes. Home tests are also sold online.
The city’s COVID-19 website also offers tips on staying safe and healthy during the winter holidays.
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This article appears in Dec 15-28, 2021.
