By Letty Fernandez

RIO GRANDE VALLEY, TEXAS – Beginning Tuesday, Jan. 4, UT Health RGV, clinical arm of the UTRGV School of Medicine, will have a drive-thru COVID-19 testing location in Edinburg. 

Drive-thru tests will be available by appointment, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, at the UTRGV CESS Building, 1407 E. Freddy Gonzalez Drive and Expressway frontage. 

The drive-thru site will be open to employees, students and the public, for COVID-19 testing by appointment for those 5 years of age or older. Children 17 and younger must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. 

To make an appointment, call the UT Health RGV COVID-19 line at (833) 888-2268, or register on the patient portal at uthealthrgv.org/health-care-news/coronavirus/covid-19-testing/. 

For children 4 and younger, parents should call their doctor’s office, or contact the UT Health RGV Pediatric Specialty at (956) 296-1960 0r (833) 888-2268, for a COVID-19 pediatric testing appointment. 

Results of the COVID test will be available within 24 to 48 hours and will be posted in the Athena patient portal. 

Individuals should arrive at the UT Health RGV drive-thru site with a photo ID and a copy of their appointment confirmation email.  

Patients are asked to enter the drive-thru testing site on the frontage road (South 24th Avenue). Once they have been tested, they will exit onto East Freddy Gonzalez Drive. 

Individuals with insurance are asked to check their COVID-19 benefits. Uninsured patients will go through the Health Resources and Services Administration’s COVID-19 Uninsured Program. 

A drive-thru testing site for Cameron County is in the planning phase.  

Dr. Michael Dobbs, vice dean of Clinical Affairs and chief medical officer for UT Health RGV, said UTRGV continues to work with local and state officials, as well as local hospitals, to combat the spread of COVID-19.  

“We are committed to mitigating the spread of COVID-19 to minimize its impact on our Valley community,” Dobbs said. “That’s an immediate priority. And testing sites like the one opening Tuesday, Jan. 4, at the CESS building in Edinburg is a big step to helping protect the population.  

“If you feel sick, it’s important to get tested for COVID-19,” he said. “And if you haven’t been vaccinated yet, it is not too late to start the process. It could save lives.”  

 

WHERE CAN I GET THE VACCINE? 

UT Health RGV continues to work with federal, state and local authorities to administer FDA-authorized and approved vaccines to people in the Rio Grande Valley. People ages 5 and older can get a COVID-19 vaccine at one of 14 UT Health RGV Primary Care locations across the Valley. 

According to the CDC, “People with known current SARS-CoV-2 infection should defer vaccination at least until recovery from the acute illness (if symptoms were present) has been achieved and criteria to discontinue isolation have been met.” If you have tested positive for COVID-19 and are unclear about whether or when you should get the vaccine, please consult your physician or other medical professional. 

For additional questions about symptoms, prescriptions and UTRGV COVID-19 drive-thru appointment times, call (833) 888-2268.  

Visit the website for the latest health information about COVID-19 and what do to do if you are feeling sick or think you have been exposed to the virus.