County COVID-19 test site closing

The Skagit County drive-through COVID-10 testing site will close permanently after March 12, Skagit Public Health announced Feb. 17. It is closed Saturdays effective immediately, due to low use that day, the County announced Monday.

Public Health and Unified Command made the decision to close the testing site in order to focus on vaccine distribution. “We provide vaccine clinics out of the fairgrounds as well, and closing testing will allow us to focus our resources on those efforts,” County spokesperson Laura Han wrote in an email Monday. “Additionally, unlike when we initially started providing testing back in April 2020, there are many providers providing testing in the community.”

The County lists 12 other publicly accessible testing clinics in municipalities including Anacortes, Burlington and Mount Vernon, on its website. They are in medical clinics and drugstores. The webpage states “Many doctor’s offices are offering COVID-19 testing to their patients. Contact your healthcare provider first to see if they offer COVID-19 testing.”

Han wrote that closing the test site was a difficult decision but that Public Health is placing its resources on vaccination, that “the way out of the pandemic and towards recovery is vaccination.”

“It’s really been an honor to serve the community with this site,” said Public Health Director Jennifer Johnson in a news release. “As we look at utilization and movement towards focusing on vaccine clinics, this is just the right decision at this time.”

Information on the fairgrounds test site: skagitcounty.net/Departments/HealthDiseases/coronavirusdriveup.htm.

For other test sites: skagitcounty.net/Departments/HealthDiseases/coronavirusTESTsites.htm.

For immunization information: doh.wa.gov/youandyourfamily/immunization.

For vaccine eligibility: findyourphasewa.org.

Skagit Public Health information: 360-416-1500 and skagitcounty.net/coronavirus.

Source: Skagit Public Health