A sign for Capstone Clinic gives people instructions for how to register to view their results. (Photo by Sarah Knapp/Homer News)

Free rapid COVID-19 testing available in Homer through Friday

A drive-up COVID-19 testing clinic will be held at Homer Public Health Center this week.

A free rapid COVID-19 testing clinic will continue through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Homer Public Health Center on East Bunnell Avenue.

As of Tuesday, 57 people had been tested at the rapid clinic, with 12 people testing positive.

Lorne Carroll, Alaska Public Health Nurse III, said the pop-up clinic was needed at this time because of the recent increase in COVID-19 cases due to the omicron variant.

“Increased testing is a key public health intervention. This is true in almost any case, but it is particularly impactful when average daily test positivity is over 5%. Currently, that average for Alaska is over 18% which is the highest we’ve experienced during the pandemic,” Carroll wrote in an email to Homer News. “It also means more demand and stress on an already stressed healthcare system, so timing this popup testing at what might be near the peak of this 4th wave is key for managing limited resources.”

The clinic is hosted by Capstone Clinic, a certified contractor of Alaska DHSS, which will use Cue COVID-19 molecular tests to provide rapid results within 30 minutes to an hour of testing. Results will be available at COVIDsecureapp.com. Participants must register with COVID Secure App before arriving.

No appointments are necessary for the drive-up testing event. Upon arrival, everyone is asked to stay in their vehicle and a test administrator will come to the car.

“It has been a great turnout,” Carroll wrote. “It’s taking part of the load off the hospital’s Swab Site, and I think Capstone will test even more daily as the week unfolds.”

Carroll stressed how important it is to get tested not only for yourself but for others around you. If you do receive a positive result, Carroll says to “take care of your health, call your provider to discuss treatment options, call your contacts, isolate for 5 days, and hope you feel better soon!”

The Homer Public Health Center is located at 195 East Bunnell Ave., across from Two Sisters Bakery.

— Homer News

A COVID-19 test administrator discusses the testing process with a patient during the popup rapid testing clinic at Homer Public Health Center on Tuesday, Jan. 25. (Photo by Sarah Knapp/Homer News)

More in News

Kenai Middle School Principal Vaughn Dosko points out elements of a redesign plan for the front of the school on Wednesday, Sept. 21, 2022, in Kenai, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)
Work soon to begin on Kenai Middle security upgrades

The security upgrades are among several key KPBSD maintenance projects included in a bond approved by borough voters in October 2022.

The Kenai Fire Department headquarters are photographed on Feb. 13, 2018, in Kenai, Alaska. (Peninsula Clarion file)
Kenai adds funds, authorizes contract for study of emergency services facility

The building shared by Kenai’s police and fire departments hasn’t kept up with the needs of both departments, chief says.

Kenai Parks and Recreation Director Tyler Best shows off a new inclusive seesaw at Kenai Municipal Park in Kenai, Alaska, on Thursday, June 27, 2024. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Kenai awards contract to develop Parks and Rec master plan

The document is expected to guide the next 20 years of outdoors and recreation development in the city.

Balancing Act’s homepage for the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District’s Fiscal Year 2026 Budget. (Screenshot)
KPBSD launches ‘Balancing Act’ software, calls for public to balance $17 million deficit

The district and other education advocates have said that the base student allocation has failed to keep up with inflation.

Natural gas processing equipment is seen at Furie Operating Alaska’s central processing facility in Nikiski, Alaska, on Wednesday, July 10, 2024. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Harvest Alaska announces proposed redevelopment of Kenai LNG terminal

The project could deliver additional natural gas supplies to the Southcentral market as early as 2026, developers said.

A depth marker is almost entirely subsumed by the waters of the Kenai River in Soldotna, Alaska, on Tuesday, Sept. 12, 2023. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
After delay, borough adopts updated flood insurance maps

The assembly had previously postponed the legislation amid outcry from the Kenai River Keys Property Owners Association.

Kenai Peninsula Borough Mayor Peter Micciche points to where the disconnected baler ram has bent piping at the Central Peninsula Landfill in Soldotna, Alaska, on Thursday, Jan. 16, 2025. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Borough approves federal request to fund recycling redesign

A large baler that was used for recycling was recently left inoperable by a catastrophic failure in its main ram.

A person is detained in Anchorage in recent days by officials from the FBI and U.S. Department of Homeland Security. (FBI Anchorage Field Office photo)
Trump’s immigration raids arrive in Alaska, while Coast Guard in state help deportations at southern US border

Anchorage arrests touted by FBI, DEA; Coast Guard plane from Kodiak part of “alien expulsion flight operations.”

Jamiann S’eiltin Hasselquist asks participants to kneel as a gesture to “stay grounded in the community” during a protest in front of the Alaska State Capitol on Wednesday focused on President Donald Trump’s actions since the beginning of his second term. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)
Trump protest rally at Alaska State Capitol targets Nazi-like salutes, challenges to Native rights

More than 120 people show up as part of nationwide protest to actions during onset of Trump’s second term.

Most Read