New COVID-19 testing site to open in Durham March 7

DURHAM, N.C. (WNCN) – The Durham County Department of Public Health, in partnership with Fidelity Investments and testing provider Optum Serve, will open a new COVID-19 testing location in Durham County.

Beginning March 7 at 1 p.m., COVID-19 testing will be available at Fidelity’s Research Triangle Park campus located at 35 Davis Drive in Durham. (Note: some GPS systems may show Morrisville.)

This site will provide free drive-through PCR testing for all people ages one and older.

Once open, testing at this location will be available from Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Advanced online registration is encouraged but not required. No insurance or documentation is required.

“We are thrilled to be seeing decreases in our COVID-19 case totals in recent weeks here in Durham, but it remains as important as ever to get tested when needed in order to keep community spread low,” said Durham County Health Director, Rod Jenkins.

“This new partnership with Fidelity helps us ensure free testing remains easily accessible for all of Durham’s residents.”

This location is expected to be able to provide testing for up to 200 visitors per day.

“We are fortunate to be able to provide a central location for Durham Public Health to continue this important work,” said Leslie Walden, Vice President Public Affairs for Fidelity Investments. “Fidelity is committed to helping promote the health and safety of our community where we live and work, so we do what we can to help keep COVID-19 trending in the right direction.”

The following guidelines are provided by the NC Department of Health and Human Services for determining if and when COVID-19 testing is recommended:

You should get tested for COVID-19 if:

• you have symptoms of COVID-19.
• you have come into close contact with someone with COVID-19. Get tested to check for infection at least 5 days after you last had close contact with someone with COVID-19. The date of the last close contact is considered day 0.
• you are not up-to-date with your COVID-19 vaccines and have been prioritized for expanded community screening for COVID-19.
• you have been asked or referred to get testing by your school, workplace, healthcare provider, or state, tribal, local or territorial health department, regardless of vaccination status.

COVID-19 testing is also available through Optum Serve at El Centro Hispano, located at 2000 Chapel Hill Road in Durham every day from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Beginning March 13, the El Centro Hispano testing site will operate Tuesdays to Saturdays only, 10 a.m.-6:00 p.m. Registration is encouraged but not required.

To find other COVID-19 testing locations in Durham, visit DCoPublicHealth.org/COVIDtesting or NCDHHS.gov/TestingPlace.