Free COVID-19 Testing for Age 17 and Under Offered at Oklahoma Children’s Hospital OU Health

Free COVID-19 testing for children and adolescents age 17 and younger will be offered daily at Oklahoma Children’s Hospital OU Health beginning Tuesday, Sept. 28.

The drive-up testing, conducted in partnership with the Oklahoma City-County Health Department, will be held on the east side of Oklahoma Children’s Hospital, 1200 Mark Everett Drive. Hours will be 3 to 7 p.m. Mondays through Fridays, and noon to 4 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays.

Appointments are required and can be scheduled through this link: www.ouhealth.com/covid-test. Results will be available in 24 to 48 hours and will be delivered through an online portal. No physician order is required to sign up for testing. The tests provided will be PCR tests, which are highly accurate and usually do not need to be repeated. Test samples will be collected via a nasal swab.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that people of any age get tested for COVID-19 if:

• They have symptoms of COVID-19
• They have had close contact with someone with confirmed COVID-19 (within 6 feet of an infected person for at least 15 minutes)
• They have been asked or referred to get tested by their healthcare provider or local or state health department.

The CDC also recommends that, while waiting for test results, young people should stay away from others if possible, especially those who are at higher risk for getting very sick from COVID-19, such as older adults and people with other medical conditions. The CDC also recommends watching for symptoms of COVID-19, which may appear anywhere from two to 14 days after exposure.

COVID-19 vaccine is available to ages 12 and above through OU Health and Oklahoma Children’s Hospital OU Health. Find more information at this link: https://covid.ouhealth.com/covid-19-vaccine/ou-health-vaccine-locations/