CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Health leaders in Mecklenburg County are urging all people to get vaccinated or boosted against COVID-19 after the health department issued a report stating case counts are "extremely high."
Mecklenburg County Public Health gave out 35,000 free at home COVID-19 tests and over 20,000 masks to people in Charlotte on Saturday.
People went to the Phillip O. Berry Academy of Technology and the Bojangles Coliseum for at least two free test and a pack of mask.
"My husband got back from a work trip last night and he woke up with like, felt like he had a fever, sore throat, really achy," said Tanna Giles, who came to get a test," "And I remember seeing on Instagram that they were giving out tests I hoped in the car and here I am."
From the start of the line to the end it took on average about ten minutes to get a free COVID test and mask provided by Atrium Health.
Data released by Mecklenburg County Public Health shows that all of the county's key metrics are increasing, including case numbers and hospitalizations. Friday's report stated that 32% of people who were tested for COVID-19 in the past week were positive. On Jan. 4, 463 people were hospitalized with the virus and nearly 2,100 new cases were reported.
"We've been asking for a long time. We know that telling you to get vaccinated doesn't work," Dr. Sid Fletcher with Novant Health said. "We're begging, please get vaccinated if you've not been vaccinated. It's critical. If you're eligible for a booster, please get a booster."
Fletcher joined Health Director Dr. Raynard Washington, StarMed Healthcare CEO Dr. Mike Estramonte and Atrium Health's Dr. Jim Hunter to discuss the rising COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations in Mecklenburg County.
"Our teams have loved you calling them heroes but they're tired and really need some relief," Fletcher said.
Washington added that the county will distribute more than 20,000 at-home COVID-19 test kits at Bojangles Coliseum and Phillip O. Berry Academy of Technology.
"We are hoping to distribute as many as possible tomorrow," Washington said. "We will send a large volume to each of those sites and get through as many as possible."
The highly contagious omicron variant has led to North Carolina setting multiple single-day records for new infections. On Friday, the Department of Health and Human Services reported over 28,000 new cases and roughly 23% of all tests in the past two weeks have come back positive.
Washington is expected to discuss the unprecedented demand for COVID-19 testing in Mecklenburg County. StarMed Healthcare, one of the largest vaccine and test providers in the Charlotte area, announced Thursday that it discovered a glitch that was causing a delay in test results being delivered. Some people reported to WCNC Charlotte they had been waiting up to a week without knowing their test results.
StarMed said the glitch happened around Jan. 3 or Jan. 4 and has impacted around 8,000 COVID-19 tests before and after that date. The problem was noticed on Jan. 6 after several people reached out to StarMed asking about the delays.
"I'll take full responsibility -- it was something I wish we had caught at least a day sooner," Estramonte said.
FREE AT-HOME TEST KITS
Mecklenburg County is also working to distribute at-home COVID-19 test kits once they're available. North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper said this week that White Officials are trying to get tests delivered as quickly as possible.
The county will be providing a limited number of free at-home test kids Saturday, Jan. 8 at Phillip O. Berry Academy of Technology and Bojangles Coliseum from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m.
For individuals seeking a test kit at the distribution sites, please be aware:
- To best meet the urgent demand in the community, Public Health will provide two test kits (four tests) per household. The kits are available while supplies last.
- No appointment is necessary. Public Health staff will offer kits based on a walk/drive-up basis.
- Since at-home test kits do not require clinical supervision, a prescription from a health care provider is not required.
WCNC Charlotte is part of seven major media companies and other local institutions reporting on and engaging the community around the problems and solutions as they relate to the COVID-19 pandemic. It is a project of the Charlotte Journalism Collaborative, which is supported by the Local Media Project, an initiative launched by the Solutions Journalism Network with support from the Knight Foundation to strengthen and reinvigorate local media ecosystems. See all of our reporting at charlottejournalism.org.