Wake County Partners With Raleigh To Host COVID-19 Testing In Parks Next Week

Press release from the Wake County Government:

by Leah Holdren on 1/27/2021 11:39 AM
Category: WakeGOV Home Page

As permanent COVID-19 testing sites continue to
serve thousands of people each day, Wake County is expanding access to COVID-19
testing even further by partnering with the City of Raleigh to launch three temporary
testing locations, beginning Monday, Feb.1.

Based in local parks, these convenient drive-thru
sites will make it easy for residents who live in communities with higher rates
of infection to get tested.

“We’re committed to bringing testing to the places in
Wake County where it’s needed most,” said Wake County’s COVID-19 Operations
Manager Eugene Chalwe. “The whole process takes minutes, and we strongly
encourage anyone who feels they may need a COVID-19 test to get one. You don’t
even need a car at our drive-thru testing sites. You can simply walk up and
receive assistance.”

Wake County will offer testing from Monday, Feb.
1, through Sunday, Feb. 7, at the following parks:

· Sanderford Road Park
2623
Sanderford Road, Raleigh

· Carolina Pines Park
2305
Lake Wheeler Road, Raleigh

· Lions Park
516
Dennis Ave., Raleigh

The hours for testing are:

· Monday, Feb. 1
11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

· Tuesday, Feb. 2, through Saturday, Feb. 6
8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.

· Sunday, Feb. 7
11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

In addition to the temporary sites, the permanent testing location at Zebulon Community Park
announced last week will continue to serve residents in this area of the
county. Zebulon shows the highest positivity rate at an alarming 17.8%.

For the latest testing times and to see all of our locations,
check wakegov.com/testing.
Use the “< >” symbols to scroll through the days of the week.

How do we
test? Several tents and lanes will be set up in each
park, and you’ll pull up to them in your car. Staff will hand you a short swab,
and you’ll be asked to circle it around in the lower part of your nose several
times. Then, you’ll put the swab in a vial and hand it back to us.

How do I get my results? You’ll be given a card with information about how to go
online or sign up for an email to get your results. Most results return within
24 - 48 hours.

Testing is available for everyone and especially
recommended for:

· People who have symptoms, including fever, cough, shortness
of breath, nausea or vomiting, and loss of smell;· People who have been a “close contact” of someone confirmed
or suspected of having COVID-19 within the past 14 days;

· People with or without symptoms who are part of an outbreak
response or contact investigation in high-risk settings, such as nursing homes,
congregate living facilities, correctional facilities or homeless communities;
and

· People without symptoms who believe they may be infected
should consider getting tested. For example, in the past two weeks, you were
around many people who weren’t wearing face coverings and/or weren’t keeping a
safe distance.

Testing is not recommended for people who have
already had a positive viral COVID-19 test in the past 90 days and do not
currently have symptoms of COVID-19.

Staying Updated

Visit Wake County’s multilingual COVID-19 webpage for the latest information on COVID-19. It features a
set of frequently asked questions to educate residents, COVID-19 vaccine information and the most current data on how the virus is impacting our
county.

Also, look for important updates about COVID-19 on Wake
County’s Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram accounts.

###

This press release was produced by the Wake County Government. The views expressed here are the author’s own.