COVID-19 Vaccination & Testing

Primary Health Care is committed to the health and safety of our staff, patients and community during the pandemic.

Learn more about COVID-19 (coronavirus) and what national and state experts recommend here:

Centers for Disease Control Coronavirus Iowa

COVID test kit options

You can pick up Covid at-home test kits at any PHC location.

Tests can also be ordered for free at COVIDtests.org. These could take a while to arrive so we recommend ordering them now so you have them when needed.

Polk County Health Department offers drive-through testing at 2309 E. Euclid in Des Moines. Rapid and PCR tests are also available. PCR tests are thought to be more accurate but do take longer to get the results (24-48 hours).

Des Moines Public Schools is offering drive-through testing for their students and families. Appointments must be scheduled at nomihealth.com/iowa/.

Additional testing sites can be found at TestIowa.com.

COVID-19 Vaccine Basics

(updated 2.22.22)

The Covid-19 vaccine is safe and effective.

Why should you get the COVID-19 vaccine?

Protect yourself from severe Covid-19 and long-term impacts of Covid-19.

Help put an end to the pandemic.

Support your community. Protect those who cannot be vaccinated (young children) or do not respond well to vaccination (those with weakened immune systems).

The vaccine is FREE for everyone. Insurance and immigration status does not matter.

The vaccine does NOT have preservatives, pork products or gelatin, egg, or live Covid-19 virus.

Side effects or the Covid-19 vaccine vary from person to person but may include: sore arm at the injection site, muscle aches, tiredness, headache, and fever/chills.

For additional details on the safety of the Covid-19 vaccine, learn more here.

We are privileged to serve you and will continue to provide the highest level of quality care and communication around COVID-19. If you’re looking for additional resources, please make sure that you are getting your information from a reputable source. We recommend starting here: