A free, drive-thru COVID-19 testing event will take place this Thursday, August 13 in Three Rivers. The Branch-Hillsdale-St. Joseph Community Health Agency (BHSJ) announced it will conduct free tests on a first-come, first served basis at the Three Rivers Health Department office at 1110 Hill Street from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Michigan residents ages 18 years and older are eligible for testing. Insurance is not required, and staff will not ask for insurance cards. Instead, the event is being provided courtesy of BHSJ and the State of Michigan, the Michigan National Guard, and the Michigan State Police.

The facility is located on the southwest side of Three Rivers, near HC Gleason and LC Beal Park, and can be accessed off of West Broadway Street. Staff will administer nasopharangeal tests, which involve inserting a swab into the nasal canal. There will be no antibody testing at the event. Antibody tests can be faster, but less sensitive.

Total infections locally have been climbing recently, with spikes in late July and early August. As of Sunday, August 9, BHSJ reports 516 total, confirmed cases in St. Joseph County, including seven deaths since the pandemic began and four new cases confirmed on Saturday.

Dave Vago is a staff writer and columnist for Watershed Voice. A Philadelphia native with roots in Three Rivers, Vago is a planning consultant to history and community development organizations and is the former Executive Director of the Three Rivers DDA/Main Street program.