COVID-19 testing expanding in the Lowcountry

BEAUFORT COUNTY, S.C. (WTOC) - Health officials in South Carolina want to make sure everyone has access to COVID-19 testing. So, they brought it to the more rural areas of Beaufort County.

All you must do is drive up, get swabbed, and drive away.

“Part of the issue is that there hasn’t been a lot of testing. Right? In our community,” Chief Clinical Officer Faith Polkey.

A main focus right now is bringing COVID-19 testing to every part of the state.

“There hasn’t been any testing here. So, people would have to drive pretty far in order to get a test. So, we wanted to make sure, and this is where one of our sites are.”

Thursday’s testing site was in Sheldon in Beaufort County. Because of little to no testing, health officials say they have no idea what the level of exposure truly is here.

“This is my second testing. Knowing that it still getting bad and they are not finding a vaccine for it. We just feeling though it’s safe to keep getting tested until they find a vaccine for it,” Denise Brown said.

Some residents say they need to keep up with COVID-19 rates in the area.

“I’m just trying to take precautions because I’m pregnant. So, it’s like, I’m trying to stay safe.”

Especially if they have underlying health conditions.

“It’s really scary. It really is.”

The state says only 9 percent of tests performed came out positive. In the Lowcountry, they believe there are more cases than what the positive tests have revealed. And so, they want to expand testing to get a more well-rounded picture of how many people have an active infection.

“It’s like, it’s nerve wracking.”

Mobile testing will continue to spread across the state. Testing at the Sheldon location will continue Friday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Pre-registration through the county health department is preferred.

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