Washoe County Health District (WCHD) officials on Tuesday said they will open four additional free COVID-19 testing sites Wednesday. The sites will be run by North Shore Clinical Labs, which is also managing testing for Washoe County School District.
The new sites operate from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. seven days a week.
The test sites are:
- Bartley Ranch Regional Park, 6000 Bartley Ranch Rd, Reno
- Eagle Canyon Park, 400 Eagle Canyon Drive, Spanish Springs
- South Valleys Regional Park, 15650 Wedge Pkwy, Reno
- North Valleys Regional Park, 8085 Silver Lake Rd, Reno
The announcement comes one day after health officials said new cases, driven by the omicron variant, were once again surging in the region with a 150% increase in cases since Dec. 26, 2021.
“With the spread of the omicron variant and COVID-19 cases increasing in Washoe County, it’s recommended that you receive a COVID-19 test if you are showing signs of COVID-19 or were in close contact (6 feet or less for 15 minutes) to a positive case,” officials said.
The Nevada Current reported that increased demand for testing over the weekend in Las Vegas led to a traffic jam at the University of Nevada Las Vegas’s drive-through test site, which closed early after completing 1,750 tests in just 2.5 hours.
Each of the new Washoe County sites can test up to 400 people each day. Appointments aren’t required, but pre-registration online can speed up the visit. Registration is available here. Both rapid antigen tests and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests are available.
The testing site at the Reno-Sparks Livestock Event Center continues to operate on various days of the week from 9 to 11:30 a.m. Appointments can be made here. Additional testing locations can be found at Nevada Health Response.
WCHD officials continue to urge COVID-19 vaccination, which can protect persons against severe illness, hospitalization and death from COVID-19. The vaccine is free for those five and older. To get a COVID-19 vaccine or booster, visit http://www.vaccines.gov. You can also find a community vaccine event here.
