DOUGLAS COUNTY, Ga. — With the rise of COVID-19 cases and the spread of the delta variant, some people are having trouble getting a test.
In Douglas County, a local practice moved back to a public park to have more space and see more people.
Channel 2′s Steve Gehlbach was there Tuesday as lines of cars snake through Deer Lick Park with people trying to find a free COVID-19 test.
“We’re trying to meet the need and see as many as we can,” said Pamela Willis with Douglas County Family Practice and Pulmonary Medicine. “We’ve had a lot come in with symptoms.”
Willis said they’re testing up to 350 patients a day since reopening the drive-through testing site last week.
They want to make sure everyone in Douglas County has access to COVID-19 testing and they’re seeing many vaccinated people also show up.
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“If they’re concerned, getting ready to travel, or had exposure, just to make them comfortable and to help them stay out of the hospital,” Willis said.
Douglas County Pulmonary used the same testing site through May and are now seeing the same numbers they had during the peak surge early this year.
But by start of summer, it got so slow they packed up and moved back into their medical offices, only doing about five tests a day.
Then in recent weeks the test site saw a huge uptick in the need for testing and couldn’t handle the traffic. So they reached out to the county to help secure the park to ramp up again.
“It allows for us to do double lines, move through a little bit quicker,” Willis said.
The site in Douglas County opens every day at 8 a.m. and they take first-come-first served through around 4 p.m. most days.
All you need is an ID and insurance card if you have one. The COVID-19 test results usually come back within 48 hours.
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