People rush to take COVID-19 tests amid holidays and surge in new cases
PHOENIX - As the nation gets closer to Thanksgiving amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, many people are planning to travel or hold get-togethers with family and friends, and that is one of the big reasons why there's a rush on COVID-19 tests in the Valley.
According to doctors, besides the holiday season, there is another reason why so many people are now getting testing, and that is because the state is seeing a surge in the number of new COVID-19 cases, people are getting concerned and they want to be on the safe side.
"Getting a lot more calls from people with kids in schools who had a scare and now needing to have their child tested," said Ray Young with Terros Health.
Young says even though they are seeing a large increase in testing, there isn’t a backlog, and testing wait times at his facilities are now down to about two to three days. That’s in comparison to the two week wait times from back in the spring months.
"The labs are better equipped to handle them," said Young. "I hear they are doing about 15,000 tests a day."
Young says one of the reasons why so many people are now deciding to get tested, some of them asymptomatic, is because of the holidays.
"We’re hearing people are trying to decide whether to get together to go on these holiday trips," said Young.
Dr. Jeffrey Weber, Medical Director for InfusAble Care says he is seeing a similar trend at his office in Scottsdale, where they just started offering rapid 15-minute tests.
"The ability to make a more informed decision about what you are doing for the holidays. You can feel more safe and make a more informed decision about what’s right for you," said Dr. Weber.
Whatever people decide to do this holiday season, Young says it’s important to practice kindness, as well as hygiene.
"Just be kind to one another," said Young. "Take care of one another. We’re all experiencing this together and let’s help one another out."