CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A doctor at one of the biggest testing sites in Charlotte says the numbers are skyrocketing and she worries it may only get worse with Labor Day and the return to school.
Tryon Medical Partners has been running two clinics since March and said the numbers they’re seeing now are not good — most of the people who are testing positive are young people who are surprised and don’t know where they got the virus.
“The rise in cases is just outrageous," Dr. Jennifer Womack said.
She runs the Dilworth testing site for Tryon MedicalPartners. They had been seeing 30 patients a day back in April and May, and even considered closing the site down in June. Now, they’re seeing 100 patients a day.
“After the 4th of July weekend it’s just been out of control," she said. "The number of people sick or asymptomatic or spreading to their family is just crazy. The virus has mutated — it’s less severe but more contagious so I’m not seeing as many critically ill people, but I’m seeing the number of people in total has dramatically increased.”
The problem and the number of cases are amplified because results are taking longer to come back and people aren’t quarantining while they wait, Womack said.
Womack said it’s very frustrating as a frontline worker.
“I’m pretty disappointed — I feel like I’ve made a pretty significant personal sacrifice and so have all the staff members here," she said. "We put ourselves and our family members at risk by doing this, it feels like people are taking that for granted.”
She’s concerned about another possible spike with some kids heading back to school and Labor Day around the corner.
“I think people are tired of being at home and they want to see friends and go on vacation and I get it, I want to do those things too but at what cost," Womack said.
There is some good news, though. There was a big shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE) and some shortages in testing kit supply, but Womack said other than N95 masks, supplies are not really an issue right now.