Where to get a COVID-19 test in Greater Lansing amid Michigan's latest surge
As one holiday weekend gives way to another, COVID-19 cases continue to surge in Greater Lansing and across Michigan.
The state reported on Wednesday a two-day total of 25,858 new confirmed cases, an average of 12,929 cases per day. That's the highest recorded daily total since the start of the pandemic.
As of Sunday, 56 people had died of the coronavirus this month in Ingham County, already the third-highest monthly total since the start of the pandemic.
In addition, Michigan State University officials said Dec. 17 that Greater Lansing's first confirmed case of the omicron variant was recorded that day.
According to state data, 58.54% of Ingham County residents were fully vaccinated as of Tuesday. In Eaton County, 58.61% of residents had been fully vaccinated, and 61.37% of Clinton County residents.
Here's where you can get tested for COVID-19 in Greater Lansing as the third calendar year of the pandemic begins.
Ingham County
Spartan Stadium Concourse B
PCR testing is available weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. at Spartan Stadium on Michigan State University's campus in East Lansing.
Appointments are recommended but not required for the site, which the university opened Dec. 15. They can be made via MSU Health Care's website.
Testing is available to students and anyone else in the area who wants to be tested. But people who register as asymptomatic and are not a close contact of someone who has been diagnosed with COVID-19 will be charged $100 for the test.
Free parking is available in Lot 79, south of Spartan Stadium.
Sparrow Laboratories drive-thru at Frandor
Wait times at Sparrow Laboratories' drive-thru testing site at Frandor this week have averaged between an hour-and-a-half to two hours, Laboratory Manager Elizabeth Reust said Wednesday.
The Frandor site, located at the old Sears Auto Center, saw a spike in demand in the weeks leading up to Christmas. Though it's declined marginally, Reust said they're still conducting just under 800 tests per day.
More: A day inside the holiday rush at Sparrow's drive-thru COVID testing site
The site, which specializes in PCR tests, is open daily from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Reust recommends arriving early when lines are shorter. In addition, the line cuts off around 7 p.m.
Appointments are strongly recommended and they can be made using MySparrow — a patient portal that the hospital system operates through MyChart software. It can be accessed both online or through the MyChart app.
"For every patient who shows up without having done that, it takes us an extra 10 minutes to register them," Reust said.
98point6 Emergicenter
Rapid antigen, PCR, flu and strep throat tests are available at 98point6 Emergicenter, an urgent care center located at 1540 Lake Lansing Road.
Testing, which runs daily from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., is appointment-only on weekdays, and drive-up on Saturday and Sunday. Arrangements can be made by calling 517-913-6711. Capacity is limited to five tests every half hour.
On weekdays, people being tested are instructed to park behind designated cones for testing and call the urgent care center upon arrival. On weekends, a drive-thru setup is arranged near the building's entrance.
According to a spokesperson, PCR results are delivered within 1-3 days, while rapid test results are given within 30 minutes.
Ingham County Health Department
The Ingham County Health Department regularly offers free COVID-19 testing at two sites.
PCR tests are available Monday through Thursday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Ingham County Health Department's office, located at 5303 S. Cedar St in Lansing. Appointments can be made online through a link on the health department's website.
Coronavirus testing also happens weekdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Forest Community Health Center, at 2316 S. Cedar St. in Lansing.
Michigan Department of Health and Human Services
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services runs a testing site three days per week at Epicenter of Worship, a church at 517 W. Jolly Road in Lansing.
Tests are available Tuesdays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Appointments can be made online through an MDHHS website.
McLaren Care Now
Test are available daily at two Walgreens locations in Ingham County through a partnership with McLaren Health Care, called McLaren Care Now.
Appointments can be made ahead of time by registering through McLaren's website.
The two partnering locations are in Lansing — at 410 E. Jolly Road — and in Okemos — at 2131 W. Grand River Ave.
Atlas Meds Pharmacy
Atlas Meds Pharmacy, a pharmacy located at 4801 S. Martin Luther King Blvd. in Lansing, offers walk-up rapid antigen and PCR tests.
No registration ahead of time is needed.
Lansing VA Clinic (for veterans only)
Veterans enrolled in health care benefits through the Veterans Benefits Administration can pre-arrange COVID-19 tests with their primary-care providers at the Lansing VA Clinic, a clinic run through the Battle Creek VA Medical Center.
A spokesperson said patients should call the clinic at 269-966-5600 and follow prompts until they select to speak with the nurse on call.
To enroll in benefits, the spokesperson said veterans can call the VBA at 1-800-827-1000.
Eaton County
Barry-Eaton District Health Department
Registration through the Barry-Eaton Health Department's website is strongly encouraged for testing at the department's two sites.
The department offers rapid antigen and PCR testing Tuesdays and Fridays from 10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. at its Eaton County office, located at 1033 Health Care Drive in Charlotte. The county also offers testing Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays at its Barry County location, at 330 W. Woodlawn Ave. in Hastings.
Testing will not be available Thursday or Friday due to the holiday weekend, according to the health department's website.
Clinton County
Ouch! Urgent Care
Rapid antigen, PCR and flu tests are available Monday-Saturday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the Ouch! Urgent Care in St. Johns.
According to the clinic's Facebook page, times may vary due to holiday hours.
Appointments are not required, but they can be made through a link on the clinic's website. Wait times are also visible on the page.
Other testing sites
Lansing Urgent Care
COVID-19 testing is available at any of Lansing Urgent Care's eight locations across Greater Lansing.
Walk-ins are accepted, but wait times vary dramatically according to a mapping tool on the clinic's website.
Lansing Urgent Care has offices on the east, south and west sides of Lansing, as well as in Okemos, Haslett, Mason, Dewitt and Grand Ledge.
Meijer Pharmacy
Rapid antigen tests are available by appointment only at Meijer locations throughout the Greater Lansing area.
Tests are drive-thru and patients must register through a website. Appointments are assigned using a survey on doineedacovid19test.com. After filling out the survey, if applicable, you select appointments from a drop-down menu listing participating Meijer Pharmacy locations across the region.
Chain pharmacies
Walgreens, CVS Pharmacy and Rite Aid also offer COVID-19 testing by appointment at locations throughout the Greater Lansing area.
Each pharmacy chain offers rapid and PCR testing, and requires people to fill out screening surveys through their websites prior to scheduling an appointment.
Contact reporter Jared Weber at 517-582-3937 or jtweber@lsj.com.
This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: COVID-19 tests, appointments available in Lansing
