Testing for virus will continue ramping up as May approaches

Cars lined up for testing at Shelby Valley High School south of Pikeville Thursday.

Testing for the coronavirus in Kentucky will be more extensive than ever during the last week of April. Gov. Andy Beshear highlighted 11 sites in which the state has a role, and that doesn't include hospitals and other facilities that are also doing tests.

The third full week of April saw testing reach an apparent new high, as four Kroger-sponsored locations in McCracken, Hopkins, Pulaski and Pike counties did 3,227 tests. The latter location came closest to meeting each site's goal of 1,000, with 942. Beshear said 535 of the test were done Thursday, well above the daily average goal of 333; he said staff stayed until almost 10 p.m. and didn't eat until 11.

"As we move toward the new normal we need to do better and better," Beshear said at his daily briefing. He outlined the 11 drive-through testing locations, "all a little different," that the state Department for Public Health is working with:

Screenshot of slide of testing locations, displayed by Beshear at his Friday briefing

Kroger-sponsored locations in Louisville, Lexington and Bowling Green (South Warren High School) April 28-30 are "fully booked," and the Owensboro Community and Technical College site "has limited availability," on April 30, Beshear said Friday. But on Saturday, he announced that the Bowling Green site would also be open Friday, May 1, and the following week.

The Louisville and Lexington sites will also operate during the first week of May. All will test anyone who makes an appointment; sign up at KrogerHealth.com/covidtesting after 5 p.m. Wednesay, April 29.

Another Louisville site, at the Walmart at 2020 Bashford Manor Lane, will open April 29 and run from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day "until they run out of capacity," Beshear said. It will be open to first responders and health-care workers, and adults with symptoms of covid-19. The site will also dispense masks and sanitizer. Make appointments at DoIneedaCovid19test.com.

Beshear said Walmart "reached out to us" and they chose a site near the predominantly African American neighborhood of Newburg "to make sure we were serving those that are disproportionately impacted and make sure nobody is left out or overlooked." The same is true of the other Louisville site, Shawnee Park, and the Lexington location on Newtown Pike.

Lexington will have another location, on Executive Drive operated by Walgreens, with the same criteria as Walmart. Sign up at Walgreens.com/coronavirus.

The state and Christian County health departments are testing from 9 to 11 a.m. Monday through Friday at Tiebreaker Park in Hopkinsville. The Murray-Calloway County Hospital is testing from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. Both are open to health-care workers, first responders and anyone with symptoms.

The Trigg County Primary Care Clinic in Cadiz is testing anyone over 5 months old from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.

In Hazard, Primary Care Centers of Eastern Kentucky will test anyone from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday and Tuesday, April 27-28, and Rockcastle Regional Hospital in Mount Vernon will do likewise Monday through Friday; it requires registration at 606-256-7385.

"That is a significant expanded capacity," Beshear said after going over the list of 11 sites. "Let's make sure we utilize it."