Fairfax County expands COVID-19 testing sites, starting today

More than two years into the pandemic, Fairfax County is settling into a more stable approach to COVID-19 testing.

The Fairfax County Health Department will now support free testing at six established sites through a new partnership with the contractor Curative. The mobile lab launched today (Tuesday) in Centreville and Bailey’s Crossroads and will rotate between two sites per day throughout each week.

“This is basically an expansion of our mobile test offerings,” FCHD spokesperson Lucy Caldwell said by email.

With demand fluctuating over the course of the pandemic, Virginia has shifted between mass testing and smaller, mobile sites. Fairfax County introduced a mobile laboratory after the delta variant arrived last fall.

The county had been deploying its mobile lab to a variety of locations, but there were only two regularly used sites, according to Caldwell.

Curative’s vans will follow a fixed schedule, with all clinics running from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.:

Tuesdays and Fridays

• Centreville Library: 14200 St. Germain Drive, Centreville
• Bailey’s Community Center: 5920 Summers Lane, Falls Church

Wednesdays and Saturdays

• Richard Byrd library: 7250 Commerce St., Springfield
• Groveton Baptist Church: 6511 Richmond Highway, Alexandria

Thursdays and Sundays

• New Grand Mart: 6255 Little River Turnpike, Alexandria
• James Lee Community Center: 2855 Annandale Road, Falls Church

No registration or appointment is necessary, and Curative doesn’t require users to present identification, according to a flyer. It also promises no out-of-pocket costs for the PCR tests, whose results are supposed be returned within one to two days.

The county health department recommends that people get tested for COVID-19 if they experience symptoms, have come in close contact with someone who tested positive, and before and after traveling.

As of June 30, the Fairfax Health District’s Covid testing positivity rate had jumped to 20% — its highest point since Jan. 22 — while the weekly average number of encounters has dropped to 1,652 per day.

The FCHD also provides testing at its district offices and the Joseph Willard Health Center. Additional PCR testing options can be found through the Virginia Department of Health, and rapid, at-home test kits are available at pharmacies and other retailers.

The federal government is also now delivering up to 16 free at-home tests per household.