Hawaii County is sponsoring free COVID-19 testing every Wednesday at three locations:

Wednesday morning, 9 a.m. until noon, behind Regal Cinemas at Keauhou Shopping Center, with the testing conducted by Ali’i Health.  To get to the testing site, enter the Keauhou Shopping Center at the small access road by Sam Choy’s Kai Lanai, off Kamehameha III Road.

Wednesday afternoon, 2 p.m. until 6 p.m., at Konawaena High School.

Wednesday afternoon, 3 p.m. until 6 p.m. at Afook Chinen Civic Auditorium in Hilo, with testing conducted by S&G Labs.

No insurance is necessary to be tested, but please bring your insurance card if you have one.  You do not have to have symptoms in order to be tested.  Right now, the CDC says more than 50% of the cases are being spread by people who have the coronavirus which causes COVID-19, but they have no symptoms.  The CDC and all health officials are continuing to urge everybody to wear a mask, do not take part in large gatherings, and wash your hands frequently.  Several vaccines are in the final testing stages and the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine is scheduled for FDA review December 10.  But it will take months for enough people to get vaccinated to provide “herd immunity,” so health officials implore people to continue to exercise caution and adhere to safe practices.

Hawaii County is paying all costs for testing at this time, with funding provided by the Federal CARES Act.  CARES funds must be spent by the end of December.

Please be sure to wear a face covering at all times, and observe social distancing.

Attached photo is Hawaii County firefighters/EMTs, on hand to assist with screening, testing, and more.