New Hanover County officials said that as COVID-19 cases continue declining, the demand for drive-thru testing has also dropped. | Senior Airman Sean Madden/National guard
New Hanover County officials said that as COVID-19 cases continue declining, the demand for drive-thru testing has also dropped. | Senior Airman Sean Madden/National guard
During the last week of July, New Hanover County was averaging 53 new COVID-19 cases a day, but that number has since dropped to 22 positive tests per day, county officials said in late-August.
As cases continue to decrease, so does the demand for drive-thru testing sites.
“Earlier this summer we saw more widespread transmission of COVID-19 and a busy testing site, but as safety measures and the three Ws have been followed, we’re seeing a decrease in the prevalence of COVID-19 and the need for our drive-through testing site,” New Hanover County Assistant Health Director Carla Turner said in a county press release on Aug. 28. “COVID-19 is still present in our community and these safety measures need to continue, but we have an opportunity now to shift to a more direct outreach and targeted testing strategy, focusing on populations at higher risk of illness from COVID-19 and traditionally underserved communities.”
While the demand for testing is decreasing, New Hanover County will continue to offer pop-up testing sites.
These locations will offer free coronavirus testing to residents who face barriers such as no health insurance, no transportation or other challenges that prevent them from being tested elsewhere, the county said in the release.
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