Ocean County Extends Coronavirus Testing Days, Hours At OCC

TOMS RIVER, NJ — Coronavirus testing at the Ocean County College drive-through testing site is expanding to five days a week and longer hours in response to the increase in demand for tests in the midst of the surge in cases, Ocean County officials said Thursday.

The increase in cases — the Ocean County Health Department reported more than 300 new cases on Wednesday, giving the county 19,163 since March — has led to lines at a number of walk-up test sites at urgent care facilities, and in some cases people being turned away.

"As people see the number of positive cases increase, more want to be tested," said Daniel Regenye, Ocean County's public health coordinator. "People also want to be tested for the holidays. Testing will show if you have the virus even if you are asymptomatic. This can help reduce the spread of the virus, so long as people quarantine.

"We have also consistently encouraged our residents to get tested," Regenye said. "We believe the longer hours will address this demand. We can also adjust the hours again if necessary."

Next week, the county will offer testing Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., with none Thursday or Friday because of Thanksgiving. Starting Nov. 30, testing will be available Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Testing is available for people who do not have symptoms as well as those who do have symptoms. Appointments are required, and can be made through the Ocean County Health Department website. Proof of residency is required. All emergency responders can also access testing at the site.

The county estimates it can test about 300 people per day with the expanded hours. More than 12,000 people have been tested at the Ocean County College site, which offered testing five days a week early on but scaled back over the summer when the demand decreased.

"Since the opening of the test site in March, we have closely monitored the needs and consistently adjusted the hours of testing at the college to accommodate our residents," said Freeholder Gerry Little, the liaison to the health department.

Anyone with questions should call the Health Department at 732-341-9700, Ext. 7411.

Regenye noted there are other locations and testing sites for asymptomatic people that have opened throughout the state, with some located in Ocean County. New Jersey's COVID-19 website has information on sites that offer free testing; scroll down the page to the searchable database.

Once the test has been performed, it’s anticipated to take about three to five days for results to be returned. They are available on the BioReference Laboratories Patient Portal, and the county health department will notify residents of their test results as well, Regenye said.

Ocean County officials are urging everyone to take the steps necessary to curtail the virus including wearing a mask, social distancing, frequent handwashing and staying home when sick.

Click here to get Patch email notifications, or get Patch breaking news alerts sent right to your phone with our app. Download here. Have a news tip? Email karen.wall@patch.com Follow Toms River Patch on Facebook.