Mercer County COVID-19 testing site expands testing to include asymptomatic residents, but you still need a prescription

Mercer County officials announced on Wednesday afternoon that the county has expanded its COVID-19 testing to include asymptomatic residents. County residents still must have a doctor’s prescription and schedule an appointment though. Previously, testing was open only to individuals who had COVID-19 symptoms.

The appointment-only, drive-up testing site is now located in the parking lot across from 640 South Broad Street in Trenton, across from the Mercer County Administration Building and two-tenths of a mile south of CURE Insurance Arena.

Mercer County also operates appointment-only, walk-up testing sites in Trenton and Hightstown.

“We want to be able to test more people, so we’re opening it up to asymptomatic residents provided they have a prescription,” said Mercer County Executive Brian Hughes said in a written statement. “If you believe you’ve been exposed to COVID-19 but don’t have symptoms, you can now get tested at our sites.”

You must have an appointment to be tested and be a resident of the county. Residents who show up at a testing site without an appointment will be turned away.

Testing is being provided for Mercer County residents age 18 or older who have an appointment. If you want to be tested, contact your primary health care practitioner. If a test is needed, your doctor will fax a prescription to the Mercer County Health Call Center at 609-630-4031, and the center will contact you to schedule an appointment.

If you lack transportation to get to the drive-up testing site, you will be offered an appointment at a walk-up site along with instructions. The Trenton walk-up sites are open in each city ward one day a week. The Hightstown site is open Fridays at noon in the parking lot of St. Anthony of Padua Church at 156 Maxwell Ave.

If you don’t have a doctor, call the Henry J. Austin Health Center at 609-278-5900 to see if you need testing. They can help you to talk with a doctor by phone or video. Henry J. Austin will serve all patients, including those without health insurance.

There is no charge for the test at Mercer County testing sites.

If you have questions about the testing process, call 609-337-4081 Monday through Friday between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Español, call 609-436-5038 Monday through Friday between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.

The testing sites are collaborative efforts between Mercer County, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Hamilton, Capital Health System, St. Francis Medical Center in Trenton, the Trenton Health Team, Henry J. Austin Health Center, and the City of Trenton.

Other testing sites

On Wednesday, state officials also announced that seven Walmarts across the state will also offer drive-up testing in partnership with Quest Diagnostics beginning May 22.

The testing sites will test adults who meet Centers for Disease Control and state and local criteria on who should be tested, including first responders, health care providers, and others with symptoms of COVID-19, and those in high-risk groups without symptoms. 

COVID-19 drive-thru testing sites will open Friday, May 22, in the parking lots of Garfield, North Bergen, Kearny, Flemington, Burlington, Howell, and Mount Laurel Walmart stores located at:

• 174 Passaic St, Garfield, NJ 07026
• 2100 88th St, North Bergen, NJ 07047
• 150 Harrison Ave, Kearny, NJ 07032
• 152 NJ-31 N, Flemington, NJ 08822
• 2106 Mt Holly Rd, Burlington Township, NJ 08016
• 4900 U.S. Hwy #9, Howell Township, NJ 07731
• 934 NJ-73, Mt Laurel Township, NJ 08054

Details regarding the testing sites:

• The sites are open Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays weekly from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m., weather permitting.
• The sites will be closed for Memorial Day, Monday, May 25, but will open Tuesday, May 26, from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. and resume its regular schedule on Wednesday.
• Testing is for adults who meet CDC and state and local guidelines on who should be tested, including first responders, health care providers, and others with symptoms of COVID-19, and those in high-risk groups without symptoms.
• Residents must be 18 years and older.
• The testing sites will require an appointment through Quest’s MyQuest online portal and app, www.MyQuestCOVIDTest.com, which will screen and schedule appointments for those residents who meet medical eligibility for the testing sites.
• Once on site, those being tested will need to wear a mask and stay in their cars for verification of eligibility criteria, ID check, and a self-administered test. For the safety of all those on-site, the test site is not available to those who walk up. 
• The sites will use a self-administered nasal swab test that will allow those being tested to swab their own nose onsite while in their vehicles, observed by a trained medical volunteer to ensure the sample is taken correctly, and drop the sealed sample into a container on their way out of the drive-thru site.
• Quest Diagnostics will handle processing test samples and communicating results to those tested and applicable departments of health.
• Any questions regarding testing and appointments, please call Quest’s dedicated COVID-19 line at 866-448-7719, Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
• The sites will be staffed by Walmart pharmacists and associates.

Somerset and Hunterdon Counties

Hunterdon and Somerset County residents who are exhibiting symptoms can get tested at Raritan Valley Community College, located at 118 Lamington Road in Branchburg. The testing site will be open from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Thursday, May 21, Thursday, May 28, Tuesday, June 2 and Thursday, June 4. The testing site will be closed on Tuesday, May 26.

Testing is free of charge, is available to Hunterdon and Somerset County residents, age five and older. Because priority is being given to those who are exhibiting symptoms of the coronavirus, residents must have a valid doctor’s prescription, ID and an appointment to receive testing. Anyone who does not have an appointment and a valid prescription or written order from their physician will be turned away.

Patients are required to provide a copy of their prescription, either by bringing it with them to the testing site, or by sending it via email in advance of the appointment.  Patients or their physicians, can send the written authorization to the Somerset County Department of Health at coronavirus@co.somerset.nj.us, with the word “Prescription” in the subject line. Faxes can be sent to 908-704-8042. Patients must schedule an appointment for testing at https://somerset-hunterdon.adlabscovidtest.com or by calling 908-237-7150. Additional dates will be offered based on availability of resources. Check www.co.somerset.nj.us/covid19status for updates.

Pharmacies across the state

There are 2,239 pharmacies in New Jersey, including retail chains and independent businesses.

Last week, the acting director of the New Jersey Attorney General’s Division of Consumer Affairs signed an administrative order that permits licensed pharmacists to perform COVID-19 tests at, or immediately outside of, a registered pharmacy. Under the order, pharmacists can administer tests for COVID-19 or its antibodies without a prescription. The order allows pharmacists to order and perform tests, and waives legal requirements that otherwise would preclude pharmacists from administering tests without entering into a collaborative practice agreement or protocol with a physician.

Pharmacists can only perform tests that have been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration or that have received an emergency use authorization issued by the FDA.

Eleven Rite Aid locations across the state are offering COVID-19 tests, including the Rite Aid in Robbinsville, and CVS will have swab-and-send testing capabilities at 50 of their stores across New Jersey by the end of the month.

Statewide testing sites in Paramus and Holmdel

The state is still operating two testing sites at Bergen County Community College in Paramus and at the PNC Arts Center in Holmdel. The sites run on alternate days. You do not need an appointment or a prescription for the drive-up sites and you do not need to be symptomatic. Check the state’s COVID-19 site at https://covid19.nj.gov for more information.

For a complete list of testing sites across the state, visit the state’s COVID-19 dashboard database here.