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Raleigh, North Carolina – Wake County is opening a new COVID-19 testing site on Tuesday and streamlining its registration process to ensure residents continue to have free and easy access to testing during the winter months.
The new site is located at 5809 Departures Drive, near the I-540 outer belt line and Capital Boulevard, near downtown Triangle. The tests will take place from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. from December 1 to 5 and from Monday to Saturday in the following weeks.
Wake County COVID-19 director of operations Eugene Chalwe said one of the main goals of this site is to serve marginalized communities in the North East Raleigh region. “This is one of the postal codes that concerns us. And so hopefully we’ll bring the testing closer to communities that otherwise might not have done it, ”Chalwe told WRAL.
The Departure Drive test center is located in zip code 27616, one of the most affected and underserved areas in Wake County.
The new site will offer indoor testing in anticipation of colder temperatures. Sidewalk tests will also be available for residents with reduced mobility or young children in cars, as well as those with symptoms of COVID-19.
Now that Thanksgiving has passed, Wake County health officials say now is not the time to cut COVID testing. Wake County public health epidemiologist Dr Nicole Mushonga told WRAL that people who show symptoms should get tested along with others who have been at risk of exposure.
“It would depend if they had other exhibits, if they traveled,” Mushonga said. “And based on that, the CDC recommends if they’ve traveled or maybe other exhibits within three to five days to get tested.”
Dr Mushonga said colder temperatures could lead to more cases.
“We are seeing an increase in cases and it is concerning to see people congregating indoors as temperatures drop,” she said. “So we don’t want to see this increased spread within the community.
With the move to 5809 Departure Drive, the county aims to streamline the registration process. Appointments are encouraged, but not required. Residents will need to come to the test site with photo ID. The tests will be self-administered and Wake County will not refuse anyone who comes for a test, although wait times may be longer during the holidays.
Thanks to a partnership with Radeas, the test drive will continue at the parking lot of the Sunnybrook Building, located in east Raleigh at 2925 Holston Lane. The test service will run Monday to Saturday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. This site will not require an appointment or prior registration.
In addition to the new test site on Departure Drive, Wake County is working with community partners to provide dozens of county testing opportunities at convenient locations, such as churches, parks, and other community sites. popular. Radeas will continue testing at its independent Wake Forest site in Wake County until December 5; charges may apply to this site.
Wake County maintains an interactive map of testing sites and a list of frequently asked questions on their website.
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