(WGHP) --There is a high demand for COVID testing in the Triad.
High infection numbers and employer demands are leaving people waiting in long lines to get swabbed or waiting days for their turn to get a test.
The state-run testing site located at the Davidson County Fairgrounds has been busy for weeks.
“When your aim is to help the community, this is what you do,” said Tasha Binns, a testing site administrator.
What they’re doing is providing a lot of COVID tests.
“We actually went from dong 50-60 people a week to 180 people a day,” Binns said.
There is not a lot of time to take a break when you have multiple vehicles in line and people waiting to find out if they test positive for the virus.
There are only four people giving the tests at the Davidson County Fairgrounds location, leaving the team overwhelmed. Binns is working extra hours to help keep these lines moving.
“I got married yesterday and woke up today on my day off,” Binns said.
She said roughly 60% of the people showing up here are unvaccinated. It’s the same story at Cone Health testing sites.
“At least 80%...are not vaccinated,” said David Thompson, the assistant director of infectious disease at Cone Health.
They’ve gone from doing 30 tests a day to 400.
“Pretty much every week, it has doubled from the week before,” Thompson said.
The increase in demand has forced the staff to do appointment-only testing.
“I had a lady earlier who brought her child because the daycare wouldn’t let her child come in without a negative test,” Thompson said.
As more employers and universities require vaccinations or negative tests, appointments at places like CVS Pharmacy are filling up, making it difficult to find day-of testing availability.
On Tuesday, FOX8 checked online for the Greensboro area and only saw openings for Alamance County and Randolph County with the earliest availability for PCR test appointments 24-48 hours out.
Rapid test openings weren’t available until Friday.
Director of Guilford County Emergency Management Don Campbell said they are working with their vendors to add a drive-thru site and staffing at the testing location at 1203 Maple St.
They are hoping to have that up and running with tests offered six days a week in the next few weeks.
With the increased need for testing, they want to make it easier for people to find testing in their community.
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