Washington, D.C. Area COVID-19 Viral and Antibody Testing

This document: 1) summarizes the different tests available to people who are experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 or who are in recovery, 2) where tests can be obtained and 3) how survivors can help others who are struggling to get well by donating plasma, and 4) how to get involved in COVID-19 related research that will help researchers develop better treatments. For more information please see: https://www.survivorcorps.com/take-action.

What kinds of tests are available for COVID-19?

A test for the virus

The Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test is given to see if a person has SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. Samples are taken from places in the body where the virus is most likely to be found, like the back of the nose or mouth. RNA, which is part of the virus particle, is extracted and converted to complementary DNA for testing. (Sometimes you will see this test referred to as the RT-PCR test. RT stands for Reverse Transcription and refers to this process of converting the RNA to DNA for the purpose of conducting this test.) A positive test means the person has COVID-19 and can transmit the disease to others. It is possible to test positive for the virus and have no symptoms (be asymptomatic). Asymptomatic people can still transmit the virus to others. If you have recovered, this test will not tell you if you had COVID-19 in the past.

A test for antibodies

Serology tests look for antibodies in the blood. These antibodies form as a person is recovering from COVID-19. Antibody tests analyze blood, serum or plasma samples for the presence of immunoglobulin M (IgM) and immunoglobulin G (IgG), antibodies associated with the coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2). IgM forms as your body first begins to recover and it provides the first line of defense during viral infections. IgG forms second and provides longer-term immunity and immunological memory. The detection of COVID-19 IgM antibodies tends to indicate a recent exposure to COVID-19, and detection of COVID-19 IgG antibodies indicates a later stage of infection and that the patient may have started to recover. At this time, it is not known how long antibodies will provide immunity from the virus, it could be weeks or a few years. More information is below about antibody tests and where to find them in the DC area.

There are many tests on the market and they are all new. Some have not been vetted by the FDA and are not reliable. Even the tests that have been approved for emergency use by the FDA have not been thoroughly vetted and tested. False positive and negative results are possible. It is possible to test positive for antibodies and still test positive for the virus (with a PCR test). This means that your body is producing the antibodies to fight the virus, but you are still recovering from the virus and can infect others. This is possible even if you are showing no classic symptoms of the virus.

How can I help others after I have recovered?

If you have recovered from COVID-19, you can donate your plasma to help others. The plasma in Survivors contains antibodies that can be used in two treatments to help others recover from COVID-19: direct transfusion and hyperimmune globulin (HIg) treatments.

Plasma that has been collected from recovered patients can be transfused directly to people experiencing serious complications from COVID-19.
Plasma that has been collected from recovered patients is further processed into a medicine called hyperimmune globulin, a potential treatment for people at risk for serious complications from COVID-19.

Please consider making a plasma donation to help those in need. You may give more than once (3-8 times depending on the blood center). For information about how to make a plasma donation or register for a medical study, see the information at: https://www.survivorcorps.com.

Are tests for the VIRUS that causes COVID-19 available?

Testing is available in DC for the virus that causes COVID. The DC government is offering free viral testing at a number of locations. To save time in line when visiting a public testing site, residents should preregister at coronavirus.dc.gov/register. See, https://coronavirus.dc.gov/testing for the most updated information.

Free DC Government Testing Programs

Beginning Monday, October 5th, 2020, the District’s testing sites and hours will be as follows:

Fire stations in DC will offer FREE walk up COVID-19 VIRAL testing

The following firehouse testing sites will operate Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 3:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. Engine 4 – 2531 Sherman Avenue, NW
Engine 11 – 3420 14th Street, NW
Engine 24 – 5101 Georgia Avenue, NW
Engine 31 – 4930 Connecticut Avenue, NW

The following firehouse testing sites will operate on Tuesday and Thursday from 3:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. and on Saturday from 12:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Engine 8 – 1520 C Street, SE
Engine 10 – 1342 Florida Avenue, NE
Engine 30 – 50 49th Street, NE
Engine 33 – 101 Atlantic Street, SE

The District of Columbia is offering FREE COVID-19 VIRAL testing at:

Judiciary Square, F Street , NW between 4th and 5th Streets (walk-up only) Monday – Friday,
9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Anacostia, 2241 Martin Luther King Jr Avenue SE (walk-up and drive-thru) Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. Call the Testing Triage Call Center at 1-855-363-0333.)
UDC- Bertie Backus Campus, 5171 South Dakota Drive NE (walk-up and drive-thru) Tuesday and Thursday, 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.

Residents should contact their health care providers if they feel sick or believe they were exposed to COVID-19. If your doctor is not available or cannot give you a COVID-19 test, visit a free public testing site near you. Public testing sites are for individuals 3 years of age and older.

For more information on public testing sites as well as other providers offering COVID-19 tests, visit NeedATestGetATest.com. Testing and quarantining go together. It is important that residents stay at home while waiting for their test results in order to help protect the community from further spread of COVID-19.

COVID-19 Testing Hotline
English: 1-855-363-0333
English & Spanish: 1-844-796-2797

https://coronavirus.dc.gov/covid19-testing

Additional public and private testing centers in the DC metro area are listed below.

While testing was limited at first to certain “high-risk" or “first-responder” groups, DC residents experiencing any COVID-19 symptom (fever, cough, sore throat, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, congestion, body aches, chills, runny nose) or with known exposure to COVID-19 are now encouraged to get tested.

What are symptoms of COVID-19?

Symptoms that are currently being seen with COVID-19 are cough, fever, headache, new loss of taste or smell, repeated shaking with chills, sore throat, shortness of breath, and muscle pain. Other conditions that have been noted are “covid toes” – dark patches that appear on the toes, hand or other parts of the body and a decrease in blood oxygen level as read by a finger oximeter (ideally levels should be above 92, but this can vary depending on the person). If you are experiencing symptoms, call your healthcare provider.

Where else can I get a test for the virus that causes COVID-19 in the D.C. metro area?

DC LOCATIONS:

United Medical Center
1310 Southern Ave SE
855-363-0333
call for appt., high risk individuals and frontline workers prioritized

Howard University Hospital Testing Site
4414 Benning Rd, NE, Suite 2400
10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays
To make an appointment, call 202-865-2119

AllCare
1710 Rhode Island Ave NW
M-F 6p-7p; S-Su noon-1
For an appointment, call (202) 787-1979.
https://allcarefamilymed.com/coronavirus

Children’s National Hospital
125 Michigan Ave NE
referral; children only
https://childrensnational.org/Healthcare%20Providers/Refer%20a%20Patient/mobile%20testing
https://childrensnational.formstack.com/forms/covid19collection

George Washington University Hospital
900 23rd St NW, Washington, DC 20037
Offers appointment-only tests for adults with a doctor’s referral.
Open weekdays from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Schedule a video or phone consultation with a GW physician by calling 202-741-2765.
If your order is placed by a non-GW health care provider, have them fill out the form at https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=dQGE_kV4nkCNB_KAPn0qAb-4- UmmFghJiaKcnpuPSmJUN08wR043V09aWDRBVjMwSFpYVzM3QkMxNS4u AND call 202-741-3595 for scheduling once their request has been processed.

Kaiser
700 2nd Street, NE
9-5, every day
For an appointment, call (202) 346-3000.

Mary’s Center. For an appointment, call 1 (844) 796-2797.

Unity Health Care. For an appointment, call (202) 469-4699.

Whitman-Walker Health. For an appointment, call (202) 745-7000.

Medstar Health. For an appointment, visit MedStarhealth.org/eVisit

Sibley Memorial Hospital. For an appointment, call 443-997-9537.

One Medical
1690 36th St NW
1-888-ONEMED1
For an appointment, call (202) 695-7576 or visit: https://www.onemedical.com/blog/live-well/covid-19-testing-one-medical

Bread for the City: Call 202-265-2400 for an appointment.

VIRGINIA LOCATIONS:

Virginia Hospital Center (at 1429 North Quincy St., Arlington): Capable of testing up to 100 adults per day. As of April 14, patients are no longer required to be Arlington residents — but a physician’s referral is still needed before making an appointment. With your referral, call 703- 558-5766 between 8:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. on weekdays to schedule a drive-through test. https://www.virginiahospitalcenter.com/

Inova Urgent Care: Operates three drive-through testing sites in the immediate D.C. area, all requiring a physician’s referral and appointment. Open 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. all week. If you don’t have a primary care physician, call 1-855-IMG-DOCS. Patients tested can expect results in four to seven days.

Dulles South: 24801 Pinebrook Road #110, Chantilly, 20152 (Phone: 703-722-2500)
North Arlington: 4600 Lee Highway, Arlington, 22207 (Phone: 571-492-3080)
Tysons Corner: 8357 Leesburg Pike, Vienna, 22182 (Phone: 571-665-6440)

PM Pediatrics Urgent Care (11056 Lee Highway, Fairfax): Children with symptoms can be examined via teleconference call or at a PM Pediatrics office. Once approved, the clinic has set aside its Fairfax location for testing children from 10:30 a.m. to 7:15 p.m. weeklong. Results are available in three to five business days.

Velocity Urgent Care (16422 Navigation Drive, Woodbridge): Offers drive-up testing without a prior appointment, doctor’s referral or residency requirement — the first clinic in the D.C. region to do so, though patients will have to fill out a questionnaire onsite to determine whether a test is necessary. Available Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. All major insurance plans are accepted.

Kaiser Permanente: Offers testing for members with a doctor’s referral at drive-through sites in Woodbridge and Tysons. Open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. weeklong.

AllCare Family Medicine, Alexandria (6020 Richmond Highway, Suite 102): Drive-through testing can be scheduled after a video visit with a doctor at any AllCare location. With an appointment, an AllCare staff member will meet you at the back parking lot for a 30-minute testing window on weekdays between 6 p.m. and 6:30 p.m., or weekends between 1 p.m. and 1:30 p.m.

Patient First Medical Center: Offering drive-up testing with an appointment at its clinics in Stafford and Manassas. Appointments can be made by calling a designated testing center; callers will be screened to determine whether they meet testing criteria. Tests can be scheduled between 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. seven days a week.

MARYLAND LOCATIONS:

MedStar Health has opened a drive-thru testing site in Bethesda. Located at 7801 Democracy Blvd, the tent is for patients prescreened through the MedStar Health eVisit platform (https://www.medstarhealth.org/medstar-health-evisit/) or through a MedStar primary care provider. https://www.medstarhealth.org/mhs/about-medstar/covid-19-info/

Kaiser Permanente: Has testing sites in Gaithersburg, Largo and South Baltimore. Like others in
the area, they’re open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. weeklong with an appointment required.

Maryland is converting eight of its vehicle emissions inspection program facilities into COVID-
19 testing sites with more on the way, but they’re reserved for symptomatic patients at higher
risk from the disease. Patients must be referred by a health care provider; walk-ins are not
accepted.

Montgomery County: White Oak VEIP, 2121 Industrial Parkway, Silver Spring, 20904
Howard County: Columbia VEIP, 6340 Woodside Court #1071, Columbia, 21046
Harford County: Bel Air VEIP, 1631 Robin Circle #3068, Forest Hill, 21050
Anne Arundel County: Glen Burnie VEIP, 721 East Ordnance Road, Curtis Bay, 21226
Charles County: Waldorf VEIP, 11 Industrial Park Drive, Waldorf, 20602
Baltimore County: Owings Mills VEIP, 11510 Cronridge Drive, Owings Mills, 21117
Calvert County: Prince Frederick VEIP, 1035 North Prince Frederick Boulevard, Prince Frederick, 20678
Washington County: Hagerstown VEIP, 12100 Insurance Way #5176, Hagerstown, 21740
Cheverly Health Center (3003 Hospital Drive, Cheverly): The Prince George’s County Health Department is providing free screening for residents by appointment at its Cheverly clinic, which replaced their previous testing site at FedEx Field on May 4. Patients need to schedule a telehealth session first — call 301-883-6627; this site accommodates drive-through and foot traffic.
Upper Chesapeake Medical Center - parking lot
500 Upper Chesapeake Dr
Bel Air MD 21014
11-3 MWF
Washington Redskins stadium’s parking lot
1600 Fedex Way, Landover, MD 20785
referral from PCP

What do I need to know about antibody testing and where can I get a test for the antibodies in the D.C. metro area?

An antibody test will tell you if you were exposed to COVID-19 and developed antibodies to the virus. Testing is helpful for those people who think they might have had COVID-19 but have now recovered and were not able to get a viral test while they were sick. It is also helpful to a person who was exposed to others who had COVID-19 but experienced no or light symptoms and wants to know if they developed antibodies to the disease. These kinds of tests will become increasingly important to aid society in safely coming out of quarantine.

There are a number of locations offering antibody tests in the DC area. There are different kinds of antibody tests. Some will give you a positive or negative result and some will tell you the level of antibodies in your system if you are positive.

Rapid diagnostic test (RDT): These tests show either a positive or negative result for antibodies in the blood. Numerical antibody levels are not part of the result. The RDT is typically a qualitative lateral flow assay that is small, portable, and can be used at point of care (POC). These tests may use blood samples from a finger prick, saliva samples, or nasal swab fluids. In the context of COVID-19, these tests most frequently test for patient antibodies (IgG and IgM).
Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA): This test can be qualitative (positive or negative) or quantitative (give a numerical titer score representing antibody levels in the blood sample) and is generally a lab-based test. These tests usually use whole blood, plasma, or serum samples from patients. In the context of COVID-19, these tests most frequently test for patient antibodies (IgG and IgM).

ANTIBODY TESTING LOCATION IN THE D.C. AREA

Private doctors and labs in the region provide antibody testing, but it isn’t always free. The federal CARES Act requires insurance companies to cover the cost, but many labs do not accept insurance.

Quest Labs
http://patient.questdiagnostics.com/covid-testing-options
Test collection is available only to patients who: have a test requisition from a healthcare provider; are asymptomatic; have been asymptomatic for at least 10 days; lack a fever (as assessed by non-contact thermometer checks at time of visit); and are wearing a face mask. Appointments for antibody testing should be scheduled ahead of time at the link above.
Order: questdirect.questdiagnostics.com/products/covid-19-immune-response

All Care Family Medicine
AllCare is offering antibody tests to asymptomatic (not exhibiting any signs or symptoms of active infection) patients only. All patients need to consult an AllCare physician (via telemedicine or in-person) before they can be considered for COVID-19 antibody tests. AllCare offers the blood test to asymptomatic patients at their locations in DC, MD or VA. Expected turnaround time today is 1-3 business days. AllCareFamilyNed.com/covid19-antibody-test

Arc Point
ARCPoint Labs is offering antibody testing in their NW DC, Herndon VA, Elkridge and Waldorf MD locations.
Results will show whether you have been exposed to the virus, and if your immune system has produced antibodies that are already fighting off the infection.
Info: www.arcpointlabs.com/blog/covid-19-antibody-testing/

LabCorp
Beginning Monday, April 27, physicians will be able to direct asymptomatic patients to LabCorp’s approximately 2,000 patient service centers for specimen collection for SARS-CoV-2 IgG testing. In addition, collection for all three SARS-CoV-2 antibody tests will be available to be performed by LabCorp’s nearly 6,000 phlebotomists located in physician offices and healthcare facilities nationwide. The company will also work with hospitals where it provides laboratory management and technical support services to help them establish serological testing in their on-site laboratories.
www.labcorp.com/coronavirus-disease-covid-19/patient-information/covid-19-testingoptions

Healthlabs.com
Healthlabs.com is offering tests for sale. Please discuss with your healthcare provider. https://www.healthlabs.com/covid-19-antibody-test

PLASMA DONATION LOCATIONS IN THE D.C. AREA

Once you’ve recovered, you can help researchers by joining studies or donating antibody-rich plasma that can help doctors treat others struggling to beat COVID-19 and help the medical community develop better treatments. Your involvement in medical, scientific and academic research is urgently needed. To find surveys and other studies you can participate in, see: www.survivorcorps.com/research.

Washington D.C. area blood collection locations accepting plasma are listed below.
Enter your zip code at thefightisinus.org for a list of centers near you.

Children's National Hospital Laboratory Medicine
111 Michigan Ave., NW
Washington, DC 20010-2916
(202) 476-5437
childrensnational.org/departments/blood-donor-center/donating-blood-during-covid-19

American Red Cross - Dr. Charles Drew Blood Donation Center
1730 E Street NW Washington, DC 20006-0000
Call: (800) 733-2767

Inova Blood Donor Services (VA locations)
Appointment:: inovablood.org/covid19plasma 
Call: 1-866-BLOODSAVES (1-866-256-6372)
Info: https://www.inovablood.org/donate-blood/eligibility/

American Red Cross - Fairfax Blood Donation Center
8550 Arlington Blvd, Ste 325
Fairfax, VA 22031-0000
Call: (800) 733-2767

National Institutes of Health
10 Center Drive
Bethesda, MD 20892-1184
Call: (301) 496-1048
www.cc.nih.gov/blooddonor/index.html

American Red Cross - Rockville Blood Donation Center
11820 Parklawn Drive Suite 510
Rockville, MD 20852-0000
Call: (800) 733-2767

American Red Cross - Columbia Blood Donation Center
10400 Little Patuxent Pkwy
Columbia, MD 21044-0000
Call: (800) 733-2767

American Red Cross - Glen Burnie Blood Donation Center
7310 Ritchie Hwy
Glen Burnie, MD 21061-0000
Call: (800) 733-2767

Johns Hopkins University
Register: https://ccpp19.org/donors/donate.html

BioLife Plasma Services
6200 Baltimore Avenue, Suite 100
Riverdale Park, Maryland 20737
Call: (240) 623-1200
thefightisinus.org

CSL Plasma
3302 Walters Lane
District Heights, MD 20747
Call: (240).304.3899
thefightisinus.org

Biomat USA - Frederick
1037C West Patrick Street
Frederick, MD 21702
Call: (301) 360-2400
www.grifolsplasma.com/en/endcv19  