‘No answers and you just have to wait’: Many in limbo after tests
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - If you’re at home waiting for your COVID test results to come in, you are not alone, and this could be the reason why.
With the recent climb in cases, drive-up demand for local testing doesn’t seem to be slowing down.
We were live from downtown Augusta at the testing site on 15th street.
Things were quiet, but site workers don’t expect that to last very long.
We talked to officials who came in Thursday morning to an already full parking lot and line out and down the road and anticipate the same for tomorrow.
Waiting in lines is only part of the battle for most people, it’s waiting for their result.
“We still haven’t gotten our results back yet and the lady said it may be three to four days before we hear back,” said Lashay Fox, small business owner waiting for COVID test results.
She was shocked to hear this.
“She said, ‘yes we’ve done over 400 COVID tests yesterday,’” said Fox.
Fox says it’s been a nightmare from the beginning.
“To get a COVID test on Monday at MedNow the line was out the door,” she said.
So she tried Walgreens.
“You can’t get on the phone with anyone, the site kept crashing. It literally gave me a message we’re experiencing high volumes right now the server is down,” said Fox.
“No answers and you just have to wait it’s nothing you can do,” she said.
The increase in testing is all new to this wave.
Our local health officials say it’s a combination of self-awareness and wanting to protect others by getting tested and omicrons transmissibility.
They say our local positivity rate is at an all-time high.
In Richmond county, nearly 34 percent of all tests are positive. Columbia and Aiken County, both 25 percent.
On Wednesday, over 18,500 Georgians got tested for COVID.
We’ve reached out to the Department of Public Health to find out how long it takes to process each test and get your results back to you.
Check back on WRDW.com and News 12 for their response.
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