SEATTLE — The City of Seattle is ending its testing and vaccination efforts. Patients can still get a free test, but some locations are no longer operating.
The city is now directing patients to two testing hubs, in SODO and north Seattle, which UW Medicine runs.
“There's not going to be any gap in service. People can still go for the free testing, it just means we're going to transition it to the UW who has been our partner throughout,” Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan said last week.
They're telling patients to get tested only if they're experiencing symptoms or have been exposed to someone with COVID-19.
There are still several free self-service testing kiosks operated by Curative. They're throughout the region and there are plenty of available appointments.
Snohomish County has two testing locations, in Everett and Lynnwood. Pierce County has a testing station in Lakewood, in addition to privately run sites.
Vaccines are still widely available at retail pharmacies, grocery stores, and doctors’ offices.
With mass vaccination sites closed, groups like FAST, Fathers and Sons Together, are reaching the unvaccinated.
FAST was able to get about 50 people their first shots during an event in Rainier Beach over the weekend.
“We had youth with their friends coming to get haircuts, slip over and get vaccinated, we had adults doing the same, so little by little the information is getting out there and decisions are being made,” said Cathie Wilmore with FAST.
Find a testing location here with the Washington State Department of Health testing map.