VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — A COVID-19 testing clinic in Virginia Beach reached capacity minutes after opening its doors.
Leaders with the Virginia Beach Department of Public Health say they originally planned for a three-hour clinic, however, more people showed up than expected.
“We are expecting this surge to continue throughout January and maybe even into February before it starts to go on the downside,” explained Bob Engle, who is Virginia Beach Department of Public Health’s emergency coordinator.
Right now, the percent positivity rate in Virginia Beach is 37.7%. Engle said that number doesn’t tell the whole story.
“It’s high, but it’s probably higher than that because all the at-home test kits that are done that people aren’t reporting. We are not catching that. People who aren’t getting tested, we aren’t catching that,” he explained.
Hundreds of people showed up on Wednesday at a COVID testing clinic at Kingdom Cathedral Church in Virginia Beach. The line, at one point, wrapped around the building and into a nearby neighborhood.
Engle explained, “People are here for different reasons [who] need this test. To go back to work, to go back to school. There is just a strong demand for these tests and everybody has a story of why they need their test.”
Engle said staff had to stop the line early due to a staffing shortage. He added that the clinic at Military Circle Mall may soon offer more PCR tests, as well as locations in Virginia Beach.
“We are going to be here at Kingdom Cathedral on Wednesdays throughout January and we are trying to identify other locations,” Engle said.
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