Public Drive-thru COVID-19 Testing at Kroger Field Now Operating 12 Hours Daily
LEXINGTON, Ky. (Dec. 18, 2020) — The free public drive-thru COVID-19 testing location at the University of Kentucky’s football stadium — Kroger Field — has expanded its hours in addition to expanding the number of drive-thru lanes in an effort to meet the community’s needs.
Testing is now taking place from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. seven days a week at the Kroger Field location, where six drive-thru lanes can accommodate a greater volume of people and ensure minimal wait times.
Free, public testing also continues to be offered at Eastern State Hospital off Bull Lea Road in Lexington from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. seven days a week.
Holiday hours are consistent with regular hours. Testing will be offered from now (Dec. 18) until Dec. 30 at both community sites.
UK Police Chief Joe Monroe, who is heading up UK’s Emergency Operations Center during the coronavirus pandemic, says it is imperative that an appointment be made prior to arrival so that the streamlined testing process can operate at optimal efficiency.
Appointments are required and can be made for both locations at this website: lexington.wildhealth.com.
As of Dec. 16, Wild Health, UK’s testing partner, says its lab has confirmed that 99% of test results will be sent out the same day the test is performed.
“As Kentucky is seeing a surge in positive cases of COVID-19, we want to do our part to test as many people as possible through the end of the year,” Monroe said. “Our goal is to test more than 40,000 people this month between both sites, and we can accomplish that with this expansion of capacity and hours.”
Wild Health performs the reverse transcription – polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test.
As the state’s flagship, land-grant institution, the University of Kentucky exists to advance the Commonwealth. We do that by preparing the next generation of leaders — placing students at the heart of everything we do — and transforming the lives of Kentuckians through education, research and creative work, service and health care. We pride ourselves on being a catalyst for breakthroughs and a force for healing, a place where ingenuity unfolds. It's all made possible by our people — visionaries, disruptors and pioneers — who make up 200 academic programs, a $476.5 million research and development enterprise and a world-class medical center, all on one campus.