KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Coronavirus cases continue a steady rise in Kansas City, and health officials hope increased availability of testing will help better understand who has the virus and where it is.
According to the Kansas City Health Department, there are 1,422 cases and 28 deaths in Kansas City, Missouri.
COVID-19 community drive through testing is being made available at several locations in the city.
Krista Palacios with KC CARE Health Center explained testing is important to know where the virus is in the community and who has it.
"One reason to get tested is for the data that we're just needing to know statistics of how many people are positive in a given area. But also it's important to know for yourself because you can be contagious with COVID-19 for several days before you show any symptoms or some people show no symptoms at all," she explained.
Testing will be held at various locations at least until June 18. Locations can be found online.
Tests are free and people don't need to show symptoms to get tested.
However, people must live in Kansas City, Missouri, Jackson, and Clay Counties in order to take advantage of free testing.
People must also be at least seven years old and must make an appointment by 5 p.m. the day before testing.
In order to schedule an appointment, people can also call 311.
