COVID-19 test site to open at Connecticut Convention Center

Hartford HealthCare will move its drive-through COVID-19 test site to the Connecticut Convention Center to meet growing demand in the city, expanding its testing capacity as infection rates rise across the state. 

Testing at the Convention Center, located at 100 Columbus Blvd, will begin November 9 and will be open from 8 am to 4 pm, seven days a week, the health system announced Tuesday.

The state-owned complex hosted a pandemic field hospital during the first peak of the COVID-19 outbreak in the state this past spring. 

The winterized and expanded space will allow HHC to double the number of tests it does a week, according to the health system. 

HHC collaborated with the Capital Region Development Authority, which manages the Convention Center, as well as Laz Parking and Mayor Luke Bronin’s office to plan the testing facility, which will employ 160 people. 

HHC said it’s performed more than 382,000 COVID tests since March, with more than 90% of those tested getting results within three days. About 64,000 of those tests were administered by the system’s 930 mobile testing sites, while 215,000 were conducted at drive-through sites.