A line of cars on Monday stretches to Hawkins Parkway in Longview as people wait to get a drive-thru COVID-19 test at Christus Good Shepherd's NorthPark facility in Longview. 

As the contagious omicron variant spreads through East Texas, local drugstores have been in short supply of at-home COVID rapid tests and testing clinics are often backed up for several days until an appointment can be made. With the high demand, it’s become difficult for East Texans to get a fast answer on if they have the virus. Local emergency rooms have reported a “rapid influx” of patients who just want to know, “Do I have COVID or not?”

As non-emergency COVID patients are slowly taxing the emergency care system, here are some other places to consider getting tested for COVID:

Rose City Pharmacy: The local pharmacy received 300 test kits on Monday and is expecting to receive 600 more shipments this week. CBS19 reported Tuesday the pharmacy does not limit the number of tests to purchase. Drive-thru or on-site testing is not offered, but the pharmacy is also supplying the new antiviral pill to treat anyone who’s tested positive for COVID-19, available only through prescription.

Care First Medical Associates and Pain Rehabilitation is offering walk-in testing to anyone who would like a COVID test. Without insurance, the test costs $75, otherwise insurance would cover the full cost, a representative from the clinic said.

The wait time is about 15 to 20 minutes and the clinic is open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Fridays, and on the weekends, testing is available from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. Covid test results take 24 to 48 hours to return.

The Northeast Texas Public Health District offers free drive-thru COVID testing, by appointment only, provided by eTrueNorth at four East Texas locations, including:

• Brookshire’s Culinary Center at 200 Rice Road in Tyler
• Brookshire’s Pharmacy at 2020 Roseland Boulevard in Tyler
• Louis Morgan Drugs Pharmacy #1 at 1900 S. High Street in Longview
• Louis Morgan Drugs Pharmacy #4 at 110 Johnston Street in Longview

According to the website, soonest availability for testing as of Wednesday afternoon was as soon as the next day, at Louis Morgan Drugs Pharmacy on High St., with more availability for Monday and Tuesday. At Brookshire’s at Rice Road, testing was available as soon as Saturday, with availability Monday, until those spots are filled.

Appointments are required at CVS locations, including in Tyler, Kilgore, Jacksonville, Longview, Henderson, Athens, Palestine, Sulphur Springs, Marshall, Nacogdoches and Lufkin.

According to the CVS website, in Tyler, the nearest availability for a PCR test, which gives results in up to three days, is in Marshall, Longview, Palestine, Mount Pleasant Kaufman, just this week through Sunday. Rapid-result tests near Tyler are not available anywhere within 100 miles through Sunday.

PCR tests through CVS are available throughout the week until Sunday, near Longview, including in Kilgore, Henderson and Whitehouse.

At Walgreens clinics in the Tyler area, there are no appointments available from Kilgore, Athens, Henderson, Longview to Sulphur Springs. Some appointments were available in Palestine as of Wednesday.

Due to high demand, the website stated available dates and times for testing may be limited.

In Longview, Christus Good Shepherd is providing drive-thru testing at the NorthPark facility at 323 E. Hawkins Pkwy. Or, to find the nearest location for a COVID testing site, visit NETHealth’s website: https://www.nethealthcovid19.org/testing

Some school districts have reported they are conducting COVID testing on school campuses, including Longview ISD and Jacksonville ISD.

Some primary care clinics are also offering COVID testing to established patients at a set price. According to the Department of State and Health Services, here are some clinics offering testing in Tyler:

Tyler Care Clinic, located at 4519 Troup Hwy., is offering rapid testing for free and PCR tests for $50, by appointment only due to the high increase in testing volumes. The earliest availability as of Wednesday was Jan. 21. To make an appointment, call 903-289-9252.

Wellness Point- Women’s Health Center at Tyler, located at 825 Medical Dr., Suite A, is also offering rapid tests by appointment for $50, available only to established patients at the clinic. To make an appointment, call 903-758-2610.

The Family Circle of Care Houston Clinic, located at 214 E. Houston St. in Tyler, is also offering tests for established patients only. Cost depends on insurance. To make an appointment, call 903-535-9041.

Primary care clinics in Longview offering testing, according to the DSHS, include Wellness Pointe- Center Street, Wellness Pointe-Women’s Health Center at Longview, Med Plaza in Longview and Jim Meyers Comprehensive Health Center.