BUFFALO, N.Y. — The Erie County Department of Health has established three rapid COVID-19 testing sites for students and employees.
The three testing sites are available to Erie County residents who are symptomatic school-age students who attend in-person school settings and symptomatic school employees.
Results from the tests take about 15 minutes.
You must bring your school ID with you and you should not already be under quarantine.
The locations will be located in the northtowns, central Erie County and southtowns.
To schedule an appointment, you must call (716) 858-2929. You can call to make an appointment Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturdays from 9 a.m. through 12 p.m.
Appointments are open two days ahead only and are scheduled on a first-come, first-serve basis.
If you are under quarantine, you can call (716) 858-2929 for a diagnostic test through Erie County’s other diagnostic COVID test sites.
A diagnostic test is recommended for anyone who has been placed in quarantine.
The purpose of point-of-care sites is to get students and school staff back into school. Individuals who are under quarantine are already excluded from school for a 14-day period.
Erie County is able to do the rapid testing because the New York State Health Department provided six Abbott ID Now machines. This testing cuts down on the processing time. Rather than collecting a sample and sending it to a lab, the testing is done in the field.
