Wondering if your sore throat or headache are allergy-related or something more? Or are you a critical workforce employee, concerned you could be infected but have no symptoms? 

You can get tested for COVID-19 by the Coastal Health District for free, the agency said.

 It takes about 5 minutes to swab your nose for the test, and in a few days, you’ll have your answer. 

The capacity for COVID-19 testing in Georgia has greatly increased in recent days, the health district said. Test kits are more plentiful, and laboratories can process more tests. Anyone with symptoms qualifies for a test, and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recently expanded the list of common COVID-19 symptoms.

 Now in addition to fever, cough, and shortness of breath, other common symptoms include chills, muscle pain, headache, sore throat, and new loss of taste or smell. If you have any of these symptoms, call the Coastal Health District’s COVID-19 Testing Call Center at 912-230-9744 to schedule a free appointment for testing.

 The center takes calls Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. - 7 p.m., and Saturday from 8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m. 

You must have an appointment for testing at one of the public health drive-through testing sites. Appointments are available every weekday and on Saturday mornings.

 As of April 25,, the Coastal Health District had collected nearly 1,100 specimens for testing.