DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — The lines have been unmistakable as worried residents have been flocking to COVID-19 test sites or scrambling to find home test kits.
Throughout metro Atlanta, the state of Georgia and the U.S. people have struggled to get tested to see if they may have caught the omicron variant of COVID-19.
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DeKalb County residents are eligible to pick up one of 5,000 free at-home test kits at three locations Thursday.
• South DeKalb Mall, 2801 Candler Rd., Decatur 30034
• North DeKalb Mall, 2050 Lawrenceville Hwy., Decatur 30033
• Plaza Fiesta, 4166 Buford Hwy., Atlanta 30345
However, DeKalb County CEO Michael Thurmond told Channel 2′s Kristen Holloway the test kits will be available on a first-come/first served basis.
More than 45 minutes before the giveaway was set to begin at 9 a.m., more than 250 cars were already lined up at the South DeKalb Mall location.
Live updates on the giveaway on Channel 2 Action News at Noon.
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Thurmond said even though they were up against a tight deadline going into the holiday season, his staff came through.
“Our staff literally scoured the internet and we contacted all of our various contacts in the health care industry and manufacturing industry.” Thurmond said. “We knew that we had to get this done. By literally working overtime during the Christmas break, we were able to locate these several thousand test and have them delivered on Monday of this week.
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Thurmond also said the county is finalizing a plan to open more testing sites and he hopes to announce details very soon.
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