Birmingham-area hospitals and the Jefferson County Department of Health announced today their first appointment-based community coronavirus testing site — the Downtown COVID-19 Testing Site, which will begin seeing patients by appointment only Monday at 9 a.m. The site is sponsored by UAB Medicine and the JCDH.

Those who have symptoms of COVID-19 — cough, fever or shortness of breath — or believe they may have had contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19 those who believe they need a test can call 205-975-1881 between 7 a.m. and 11 p.m. to schedule appointments at the Downtown Testing Site.

Appointments will be scheduled from 9 a.m.-1:30 p.m. seven days a week. Those who are given appointments will be asked to arrive no more than 15 minutes before their scheduled appointment time and to follow the detailed instructions located on-site. The testing site is located at the corner of University Boulevard and 22nd Street South.

The site is appointment-based to help with easy access and to avoid traffic delays and long wait lines for those coming for testing. It is expected there will be a high-volume of calls as the site ramps up, and the public’s patience with the call center is appreciated.

“We are working hard as a community to bring more testing sites online as more laboratories, including UAB’s testing lab, are able to offer the COVID-19 test,” said Mark Wilson, CEO of the Jefferson County Health Department. “We appreciate the public’s patience as we work to make this and other sites operational.”

The on-site instructions for the Downtown Testing Site include:

• You must have an appointment to be tested.
• You must have a cell phone to communicate with staff as the testing site.
• Tune your radio to 90.7 FM for important testing instructions.
• Do not roll down your window until instructed to do so.
• Stay inside your vehicle.

Testing results from the Downtown Site should be available in 3-4 days. Anyone who is given an appointment to be tested should remain self-quarantined until they receive their results and maintain social distancing even if result of the test is negative.