CHARLOTTE, N.C. — With the ongoing issue of testing lines being wrapped around the block and the winter weather storm on the way to the Carolinas, many health providers are closing their testing facilities over the weekend -- which will most likely cause a huge backlog of COVID-19 testing demand.
However, after the storm passes, Mecklenburg County Public Health and Cabarrus Health Alliance collaborated with StarMed and MAKO to open two new COVID-19 testing sites on Monday.
StarMed's will be at Charlotte Motor Speedway's zMAX Dragway and will be open on Jan. 17, Jan. 19, Jan. 20, Jan. 22, Jan. 24, Jan. 25, Jan. 29, Jan. 31, Feb. 1, Feb. 2, Feb. 3 from noon until 4 p.m. PCR and rapid testing will be provided at that location.
MAKO's testing will be held at Carowinds and will be open Monday through Saturday beginning Monday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Only PCR testing will be provided at this location.
In a release about the new testing locations, Public Health Director Dr. Raynard Washington said “We are so appreciative of organizations who continue to recognize and help meet the need for testing in our community. Thank you for keeping public health a priority.”
North Carolina health officials reported new records for three COVID-19 metrics Friday, as cases, hospitalizations and test positivity rates all hit pandemic highs.
The Department of Health and Human Services reported 35,759 new cases on Friday. This is a new single-day record, despite the state reporting over 44,000 new cases Thursday. State health officials said the Jan. 13 report included multiple days of data.
Statewide, 4,381 people are hospitalized due to the virus. Hospitalizations have continued on a steady upward trend in recent weeks with multiple single-day records being established. If you're looking for a silver lining to this data, the ventilation rate during the omicron surge is lower than previous spikes, including this past summer's delta variant.
The third new record is the positivity rate, as North Carolina's two-week average is sitting at 29.2%, according to analysis from WCNC Charlotte's Vanessa Ruffes.
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.