Free mobile covid testing site coming to North Park Swimming Pool

A mobile testing site to provide free coronavirus screenings will be set up in the parking lot of the North Park Swimming Pool from 1 to 4 p.m. on Jan. 21.

The screenings are being done by Curative, a California-based company that has set up testing sites at more than 8,000 locations across the country.

People can register online to reserve a time slot to be tested.

The pain-free swab takes about 20 seconds to administer and results are emailed or sent by text within 48 hours.

The entrance to the swimming pool parking lot is located off South Ridge Road in Allison Park.

While the tests are free and do not require a prescription, people being screened are asked to bring their insurance card along if the screening is covered by their plan so the company can recoup some of the cost of the service.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend that people be tested for the coronavirus if they experience symptoms such as fever or chills, a cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, fatigue, muscle or body aches, headache, loss of taste or smell, sore throat, congestion or runny nose, nausea or vomiting and diarrhea.

People also should be tested if they have been in close contact with someone who has covid-19, which is defined by the CDC as spending 15 minutes or more within 6 feet of someone who has tested positive for the virus.

While anyone can experience mild symptoms, older people and those with severe underlying medical conditions such as diabetes or heart and lung disease appear to be at higher risk for developing more serious complications from covid, according to the federal health agency.

Not everyone needs to be tested. If you do get tested, you should self-quarantine/isolate at home pending test results and follow the advice of your health care provider or a public health professional.

Curative was founded in January 2020 to develop a new test for sepsis. But the company changed its focus to covid-19 testing in March to help address the growing need to screen people for the virus, according to the company’s online profile.