No oil change but virus testing available at old Sears in Lansing

Lansing – Nasal swabs, not wheel alignments, will be performed at a former Sears auto repair shop in Lansing.

Sparrow Health Systems is opening a drive-thru coronavirus testing site in the vehicle bays. Sears closed earlier this year at Frandor Mall.

“This is just a godsend,” Sparrow chief executive James Dover told the Lansing State Journal.

Starting Monday, people can drive up and be tested for the coronavirus or tested to see if they were already infected and have antibodies. No one needs to leave a vehicle, and health staff are protected from the weather.

Sparrow can also take other routine blood samples.

A doctor’s order isn’t necessary but would make the process faster, Dover said.

People can provide insurance information or pay immediately. Antibody testing is $50, and the nasal swab is $70.

Sparrow’s lab can run between 1,200 and 1,600 tests a day, said lab director Jon Baker.