Health Department plans COVID test distribution event

Diane Turbyfill, The Shelby Star
·3 min read
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An employee holds antibody test cartridges of the ichroma COVID-19 Ab testing kit used in diagnosing the coronavirus on a production line of the Boditech Med Inc. in Chuncheon, South Korea.
An employee holds antibody test cartridges of the ichroma COVID-19 Ab testing kit used in diagnosing the coronavirus on a production line of the Boditech Med Inc. in Chuncheon, South Korea.

The Cleveland County Health Department is planning a free drive-thru COVID-19 test distribution event.

According to the NCDHHS COVID-19 Dashboard, Cleveland County has had a total of 299 new cases of COVID-19 in the last week and 591 cases in the past two weeks. The current test positivity rate is approximately 20%. Despite this high rate of disease transmission, hospitalizations and new deaths remain low.

As of mid-August, Omicron subvariants BA.4. and BA.5. made up nearly 90% of COVID-19 cases in North Carolina. While highly transmissible, these subvariants do not seem to cause as severe of illness as the original coronavirus strain.

“Staying home when you are sick and testing for COVID-19 is an easy and effective way to help prevent the spread of the virus,” Cleveland County Deputy Health Director Deshay Oliver said. “We have planned this event to take place just prior to the opening of the Cleveland County Fair to provide people with the resources needed to get tested prior to participating in such a large public event. We want people to know before they go.”

Updated boosters are now available following the Food and Drug Administration's authorization and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s announcement that people 12 and older can receive an updated booster to protect against the latest COVID-19 variants. The updated booster is referred to as a bivalent vaccine as it targets both the original coronavirus strain and the Omicron BA.4 and BA.5 subvariants.

The clinic will be held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 22, at the Cleveland County Health Department, 200 S. Post Road, Shelby. Each vehicle will receive six free at-home COVID-19 tests.

To schedule an appointment for the updated bivalent booster or other COVID-19 vaccines at the Cleveland County Health Department, call 980-484-6019.

The Cleveland County Health Department is hosting a free drive-thru COVID-19 test distribution event on Thursday, September 22 from 9:00 am – 4:00 pm. The event will take place at the Cleveland County Health Department located at 200 S Post Road, Shelby. Each vehicle will receive six free at-home COVID-19 tests.

“Staying home when you are sick and testing for COVID-19 is an easy and effective way to help prevent the spread of the virus,” Cleveland County Deputy Health Director Deshay Oliver said. “We have planned this event to take place just prior to the opening of the Cleveland County Fair to provide people with the resources needed to get tested prior to participating in such a large public event. We want people to know before they go.”

According to the NCDHHS COVID-19 Dashboard, Cleveland County has had a total of 299 new cases of COVID-19 in the last week and 591 cases in the past two weeks. The current test positivity rate is approximately 20%. Despite this high rate of disease transmission, hospitalizations and new deaths are remaining low. As of mid-August, Omicron subvariants BA.4. and BA.5. made up nearly 90% of COVID-19 cases in North Carolina. While highly transmissible, these subvariants do not seem to cause as severe of illness as the original coronavirus strain.

Updated boosters are now available following the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) authorization and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) announcement that people 12 and older can receive an updated booster to protect against the latest COVID-19 variants. The updated booster is referred to as a bivalent vaccine as it targets both the original coronavirus strain and the Omicron BA.4 and BA.5 subvariants. To schedule an appointment for the updated bivalent booster or other COVID-19 vaccines at the Cleveland County Health Department, please call 980-484-6019.

This article originally appeared on The Shelby Star: Health Department plans COVID test distribution event