CHARLOTTE — As COVID-19 cases increase, the demand for getting tested is rising, but it’s not always easy to quickly find a place to get tested.
Chopper 9 flew over a StarMed testing site in west Charlotte on Thursday where they’ve been testing up to 1,000 people each day. Outside of StarMed, people have few other large testing sites to go to and some say it’s been hard to get tested in their communities.
“We understand hospitals are stretched thin, but at the same time we feel like we’re one of the last men standing doing mass testing, so any assistance from anybody would be great,” Piramzadian said.
“I know the rapid testing is almost impossible to get into for three, four, five days,” resident Ed Davis told Channel 9′s Tina Terry.
StarMed’s Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Arin Piramzadian, said the delta variant has created a surge in testing. The situation is becoming so serious that StarMed posted on its social media pages that “We could definitely use more help with testing from our peers. We would love to see some of the larger healthcare companies in our area bring back testing at a larger scale.”
[ ALSO READ: More patients now in North Carolina ICUs than at any point during pandemic ]
Channel 9 contacted Novant Health, which has been offering COVID-19 tests at its primary care and pediatric offices and urgent care clinics. A representative said they plan to reopen a large testing site next week.
Atrium Health is also offering COVID-19 testing at its primary care offices and at mobile testing sites.
Here are several StarMed sites where you can get tested:
- The Old Eastland Mall parking lot - Central Avenue
- The Mecklenburg County Health Department - 2845 Beatties Ford Road
- The Bojangles Coliseum parking lot - 2700 E. Independence Boulevard
- StarMed Healthcare Freemore - 4001 Tuckaseegee Road
Click here for more StarMed testing locations and hours of operation.
To find more COVID-19 testing sites, click here.
(WATCH: Local teen gets antibody treatment to fight off COVID-19)
This browser does not support the video element.