By Letty Fernandez

RIO GRANDE VALLEY, TEXAS – UT Health RGV, clinical arm of the UTRGV School of Medicine, will conduct two drive-thru COVID-19 testing sites in Cameron County. 

• The testing in Harlingen will open Tuesday, Jan. 11. 
   
• A Brownsville testing site is set to open Tuesday, Jan. 18.  

Following are the current dates of operation for all UTRGV drive-thru testing sites:   

Week of Jan. 10-14   

• Edinburg – Monday, Wednesday, Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., UTRGV CESS Building. By appointment only. 

• Harlingen – Tuesday and Thursday, 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., UTRGV Clinical Education Building parking lot at 2106 Treasure Hills Blvd. By appointment only. 

  

Week of Jan. 17-21 

• Edinburg – Tuesday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., UTRGV CESS Building. By appointment only.   

• Harlingen – Wednesday and Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., UTRGV Clinical Education Building parking lot at 2106 Treasure Hills Blvd. By appointment only. 

• Brownsville – Tuesday and Thursday, 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., UTRGV Brownsville Campus Parking Lot B4, next to the UTRGV Police Department. By appointment only. 

The drive-thru testing site in Edinburg will continue by appointment at the UTRGV CESS Building, 1407 E. Freddy Gonzalez Drive and Expressway frontage.  

The Edinburg testing site will be closed Monday, Jan. 17, in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
 

To make an appointment to be tested for COVID-19, 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/.  

All drive-thru sites 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.  

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 drive-thru site with a photo ID and a copy of their appointment confirmation email.   

Those 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.  

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. 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, visit the website.