A sore throat that is bad enough to look up is bad enough to swab. Both UrgentMed clinics in Davie and Plantation run a rapid strep test during your visit, seven days a week, for children and adults — walk in or check in online. When it is strep, treatment starts the same day. When it is not, you leave knowing what it is and what actually helps.
Urgent care for a sore throat — when to come in
Most sore throats are viral and settle in a few days with fluids and rest. Come in when one of these is true:
- The throat is very painful, or swallowing hurts enough to put you off drinking.
- You have a fever with the sore throat, white patches or pus on the tonsils, or swollen, tender glands in the neck — the pattern that makes strep likely.
- The sore throat has lasted more than five to seven days, or is getting worse instead of better.
- A rash appeared with it, or you were exposed to someone with strep.
- A child has a sore throat with fever and no runny nose or cough — in children strep is common, and the swab is quick.
Strep throat or a virus? Why the swab matters
Strep throat is a bacterial infection (group A streptococcus). It responds to antibiotics, it is contagious until you have been treated for about a day, and untreated it can occasionally lead to complications. A viral sore throat — the common cause, often with a runny nose, hoarseness or a cough — does not respond to antibiotics at all. The two look alike on the outside, which is why the provider swabs rather than guesses. MedlinePlus has a plain-language overview of streptococcal infections.
The rapid strep test — what happens at the visit
- The provider examines your throat, neck and ears and asks how the illness started.
- A throat swab is taken — a few seconds, unpleasant but not painful — and the rapid strep A test is read in the clinic within minutes.
- A positive result means strep, and treatment starts before you leave.
- A negative result with a convincing picture is backed up. In children and teenagers a throat culture is sent to the laboratory, because the rapid test can miss some cases; the result returns in two to three days.
- When the symptoms fit, a mono test is run from the same visit, and flu, COVID-19 or RSV testing is added when the illness looks like one of those.
Strep throat treatment, and how long you are contagious
Strep is treated with an antibiotic — usually a ten-day course, or a single antibiotic injection when swallowing pills is a problem or the course is unlikely to be finished. Pain and fever are managed with the usual over-the-counter medicines, warm or cold drinks and rest. You can return to school or work 24 hours after the first dose if the fever has gone. Finish the whole course even when you feel better after two days; stopping early is how strep comes back.
For a viral sore throat the treatment is relief, not antibiotics: fluids, lozenges or sprays, salt-water gargles, and pain medicine. A prescription that will not work is not a favour, and the provider will say so.
Tonsillitis, pharyngitis and other causes of a sore throat
- Tonsillitis — inflamed tonsils, from strep or from a virus. Treated according to the cause; repeated bacterial tonsillitis is referred to an ENT specialist.
- Pharyngitis — the medical word for a sore throat; most of it is viral.
- Mononucleosis — a very sore throat with exhaustion and swollen glands in teenagers and young adults; the mono test is run from the same visit.
- Post-nasal drip and allergies — a scratchy morning throat with congestion; see sinus infections and allergies.
- Reflux, dry air and voice strain — sore without infection; the exam rules out the others.
- A peritonsillar abscess — severe one-sided pain, a muffled voice and trouble opening the mouth; this needs the emergency room.
Sore throat care for children in Plantation and Davie
Children from age 3 are seen at both clinics for sore throats, and the swab, the exam and the treatment are the same visit. Strep is most common between ages five and fifteen; in children under three it is uncommon and the provider will say when a test is not worth doing. Bring the child’s medication list and the name of the pediatrician, and a note for school is written at the visit. The pediatric urgent care page covers what else the clinics see in children.
When to go to the emergency room instead
- Difficulty breathing or swallowing, drooling, a muffled “hot potato” voice, or the mouth will not open — go to the emergency room.
- Swelling of the neck or one side of the throat with severe pain and fever.
- A stiff neck with fever, or a child who is unusually drowsy or cannot keep fluids down.
Walk in at either Broward clinic
Both clinics are open seven days a week — Davie at 5149 S University Drive (Renaissance Plaza, just off I-595) and Plantation at 10199 Cleary Boulevard, Suite 10. Both serve Davie, Plantation, Cooper City, Weston, Sunrise, Southwest Ranches, Pembroke Pines and the surrounding Broward County communities. Hours, maps and parking.
Insurance and self-pay
We accept most major insurance plans, workers’ compensation and Florida PIP auto claims, and quote self-pay pricing at the front desk before you are seen. Bring a photo ID and your insurance card.
Sources: CDC — About strep throat · MedlinePlus — Streptococcal infections