Release Courtesy of Burlington County:
The Burlington County Health Department is resuming its COVID-19 testing program and will operate a fixed clinic five days a week at the Burlington County Emergency Services Training Center, 53 Academy Drive in Westampton.
Testing at the clinic started today and will continue each weekday on the following schedule:
- Mondays from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.
- Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays from noon to 6 p.m.
The testing is open to all Burlington County residents five years and up, as well as those who work in Burlington County or attend school here. No appointment or doctor’s prescription is needed, but insurance information will be collected from those who have it.
No one will be turned away due to lack of insurance. The clinic will use a short nasal swab to collect samples for a PCR test. Those seeking a test should wear a mask and thoroughly blow or clean their nose prior to testing. Results are expected within 24 to 48 hours.
Burlington County was one of the first counties in New Jersey to launch a COVID-19 testing program in March 2020 when testing options were very limited, and the County continued to offer testing both at clinics and through a home testing program. Testing was paused this summer due to diminished demand and the wide availability of over-the-counter home test kits and other testing programs at pharmacies, urgent care centers and other health care facilities.
Dr. Herb Conaway, director of the Burlington County Health Department, said bringing back a County testing clinic provides an additional option at a time when thousands of students are returning to school for in-person learning in classrooms. Many workers are also returning to offices after working virtually from home for most of 2020 and 2021.
The highly contagious Delta variant has also caused a surge of infections across the nation and created an increased risk in New Jersey. More than 3,400 Burlington County residents have tested positive for the virus since Aug. 1 or about 78 new cases a day.
“Testing has always been an important tool in our fight against COVID-19 because it helps us identify and isolate those who have become exposed or infected to prevent further spread,” Conaway said. “There are lots of testing options available, but with Delta being so contagious and schools starting and workers returning to offices, we decided it would be prudent to bring back a County testing clinic to ensure easy access. If someone develops symptoms after traveling or has spent time in a crowded space with lots of people, I encourage that person to get tested, regardless of vaccine status.”
The Burlington County Health Department continues to make COVID-19 vaccine available to anyone who is unvaccinated, as well as booster doses for those who are fully-vaccinated but are moderately to severely immunocompromised.
The County vaccine clinics run on the following schedule:
- Mondays from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the Burlington County Emergency Services Training Center, 53 Academy Dr., Westampton (drive-thru clinic).
- Tuesdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Palmyra Community Center, 30 West Broad, Palmyra.
- Wednesdays from noon to 4 p.m. at the Weimann Building, 400 Delanco Road, Edgewater Park.
- Thursdays from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Bordentown Township Senior Center, 3 Municipal Dr., Bordentown.
Vaccines are also available at pop-up clinics held every Tuesday from 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the Virtua Mobile Grocery Store, 181 Norcross Lane in Pemberton, and Thursdays from 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. at the Virtua Mobile Farmers Market, 795 Woodlane Road, Westampton.
The Deborah Heart and Lung Center runs a walk-in vaccine clinic on Wednesdays from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Deborah Medical Office Building, 6 Earline Avenue, Browns Mills.
“Vaccines are proven to be safe and effective protection against COVID-19, including the Delta variant,” Conaway said. “If you haven’t gotten your first or second dose of vaccine, we encourage you to do so as soon as possible.”
