El Paso offering drive-thru coronavirus testing for senior citizens with fever

EL PASO, TEXAS -- The city of El Paso announced Thursday that it will now start drive-thru coronavirus screening for any seniors over 65 years of age who have a fever, which is one of the key symptoms of the disease.

“We are moving into the second phase of our testing and are now focusing our efforts on members of our community who may belong to high risk groups and could be more seriously affected by the disease,” said Dr. Hector Ocaranza, who heads the El Paso City/County Health Authority.

A doctor's lab order will not be required; however health officials said seniors need to have a temperature of 99.6 degrees or higher in order to be tested.

The testing will be free of charge and doesn’t require insurance coverage.

Seniors can make a screening appointment by calling 915-494-0982 Monday thru Friday from 7 a.m. to  3 p.m.

The location of the drive-thru testing site will be provided when the appointment is made; it is not being disclosed publicly.