HOUSTON — Local health officials expect to see more demand for COVID-19 testing after the Labor Day weekend, while currenly seeing an uptick in traffic at their testing sites.
“Our trends are going up,” said Mac McClendon, director of Harris County Public Health’s Office of Public Health Preparedness.
McClendon said the Delta variant and kids heading back to school are driving up the numbers.
“Because of the variant out there, they’re more concerned,” McClendon said. “They want to make sure they’re safe. They want to make sure their kids are safe.”
McClendon says HCPH tested 7,172 people over the last week. Their capacity is 17,700 people.
That rate is still lower than past peaks in the spring and winter.
“Our message is: if you need to get tested, come out and get tested,” McClendon said. “We can see you.”
At testing sites run by Houston Health Department, like Acres Homes Multi-Service Center or affiliates like United Memorial Medical Center, there’s more traffic, too.
HHD’s average number of daily tests in August were higher than the previous summer but lower than the level seen during the winter.
Neither the city nor county require appointments, though some private providers like pharmacies do.
Now with people traveling or gathering for the Labor Day holiday weekend, health departments are preparing to get busier.
“Yes, the Labor Day Weekend is drawing some attention from us from a planning side, also on the vaccine side,” McClendon said. “What will we be seeing in the next 7 to 10 days?”
McClendon said the average wait time at HCPH’s four testing sites is about 30 minutes. Results arrive in one to three days.