LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- COVID19 tests remain in high demand as people head back to work and school, and with that high demand, testing sites are having to adapt.
Rita Pardee, vice president of surgical services at Baptist Health Hardin, said they've expanded hours at both their offsite location and their partner Bluewater Dx Lab's testing site at Towne Mall, accommodating roughly 300 tests a day.
"People are needing to be tested, whether they're symptomatic or asymptomatic. So, we're just trying to respond to the demand for the community and make sure that we can get access for everyone," Pardee said. "I think, right now, the demand, the high demand that we're seeing, is relative to people going back to work at school," Pardee said. "I do think that it'll level off somewhat but I don't think omicron is going by any means and neither is delta honestly."
At UofL Health's downtown testing site off Brook Street, around 400 or more COVID-19 tests are done each day. On Wednesday and Thursday of last week, Chief Medical Officer Dr. Jason Smith said total results showed around 20% positivity rates for that location.
"The problem is we're seeing about twice the numbers of people come through that we had previously," Smith said. "So that's what's leading to those increased numbers."
Smith said they do their best to do rapid tests on site, but the increase means any outpatient PCR tests -- which are sent out to another lab -- now have slightly longer return times of two to four days.
"That's simply result of the overall demands that we're seeing from everywhere across the country right now for those outpatient test results," Smith said.
Though some sites may have a wait and others may take a little longer to get you a result, medical workers are prepared to meet these demands the best they can.
"They've been great as far as being flexible and saying, 'Yes, I could stay. I can work late and adjust my hours,'" Pardee said. "So we truly, truly do have health care heroes still at work.
Pardee did add that the more testing is done the more outcomes they can track and the more trends they can watch.
Baptist Health Hardin's site at 108 Financial Drive is open Monday and Wednesday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., Thursday and Friday from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturday from 8 a.m. to noon.
The Bluewater site at Towne Mall is open Monday and Wednesday from 9 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. and Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
At both locations, drive-thru testing is available without an appointment.
UofL Health's rapid testing locations are available at several of its Urgent Care Plus locations. It's PCR drive-thru testing is offered downtown at 499 Brook St. To see a schedule for tests through UofL Health, click here.
Related Stories:
- JCPS extends COVID-19 testing hours at 5 locations Monday as schools prepare to reopen
- Baptist Health Hardin expanding COVID-19 testing hours
- Louisville area restaurants and bars maneuvering through surge of omicron variant
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