Ocean County Set To Increase Coronavirus Testing As Demand Spikes

Toms River NJ

17 November, 2020

3:13 PM

Description

TOMS RIVER, NJ — The surge in positive cases of the coronavirus has brought with it a surge in demand for testing — and that demand is outstripping the availability of tests in Ocean County, forcing people to search for an open spot, or even wait for days to get tested. On Tuesday, a county resident who spoke to Patch and asked not to be identified tried three sites before finding testing available at Immediate Care in Toms River. The resident arrived at one site just after 8 a.m., only to be turned away because the site had reached its quota of tests for the day. The wait at Immediate Care was more than an hour, the resident said. That was still better than other options, including the Ocean County Health Department, where the first available appointments are next Wednesday, as of Tuesday afternoon. Even CVS and Rite Aid, which offer drive-through testing where you swab yourself, had no appointments available at the Toms River locations by midmorning Tuesday. The Ocean County Health Department has been providing coronavirus testing at Ocean County College at no charge since the spring. Initially it offered the testing daily, but as demand waned over the summer, reduced testing to 9 a.m. to noon Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. That's about to increase again, said Brian Lippai, spokesman for the health department. "Yesterday we had a full schedule, providing 215 tests," Lippai said. The department plans to increase hours, and also increase to as many as 10 tests per 10-minute time slot. "That will enable us to perform close to 300 tests a day." He said the department hopes to release an updated schedule by Wednesday at the latest. "Additionally, we just want to remind residents to please make an appointment prior to coming for a test," Lippai said. "No drive-ups are allowed and will only impede the process." The number of coronavirus cases in the state has risen by more than 25,000 in the last eight days, and Ocean County has seen 1,200 new cases since Nov. 8. Hospitalizations statewide due to COVID-19 have risen by 800 cases, from 1,539 on Nov. 8 to more than 2,300 as of Monday. Are you having difficulty getting tested for the coronavirus? Tell Patch about your experience, by emailing [email protected] or in the comments below. Click here to get Patch email notifications, or get Patch breaking news alerts sent right to your phone with our app. Download here. Have a news tip? Email [email protected] Follow Toms River Patch on Facebook.