Dallas County is setting up four new COVID-19 testing sites this week, reports CBS 11 News. The new sites are expected to help bring an end to the long lines and tiring wait that county residents have recently had to battle to get a COVID test.
Dallas County Health and Human Services partnered with Dallas College, the City of Dallas Parks and Recreation Department, Fair Park, and the City of Irving to offer the tests. The sites are located at the Dallas College North Lake Campus, Thurgood Marshall Recreation Center, Fair Park, and Trinity View Park.
Per a CBS 11 News report, the sites at the City of Dallas Parks and Recreation Department, Dallas College, and the City of Irving require an appointment to get a PCR COVID test.
COVID tests have been in high demand as a result of the surge caused by the Omicron variant. Health officials are encouraging people to get tested as the virus has been affecting increasing numbers of people in and around Dallas-Fort Worth.
Last week, Dallas County recorded its highest number of COVID cases since September, with 6,310 new positive cases and 12 deaths. The county has also seen an increase in hospitalizations. The DFW Hospital Council reported nearly 3,000 hospitalizations in the last week.
County officials hope that the availability of more testing options will curb the spread of the virus. “We’re building testing capacity all across Dallas County,” Judge Clay Jenkins said, as reported by CBS 11 News. “This is something we’ve worked on since the Christmas holiday, and it’s bearing fruit now.”
Aside from getting tested for the virus, officials encourage people to wear KN95 or surgical masks, get vaccinated, and observe social distancing.