COLUMBIA, S.C. — (AP) — A federally funded initiative to ramp up coronavirus testing in the nation’s hotspots has arrived in South Carolina’s capital city.
People ages 5 and older will be able to access free tests through self-administered nasal swabs at two locations in Columbia for the next two weeks starting Saturday.
[ ALSO READ: NC percent positive sits right under 5%; some parents allowed at college football games ]
Officials said the initiative is part of efforts by the federal government to support communities that have seen recent increases in new COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations.
The two sites will be able to conduct up to 5,000 tests a day. The testing aims to detect cases that would otherwise go undetected and to help middle-sized metropolitan areas flatten the curve.