HOUSTON — The demand for COVID-19 tests is surging in Houston as the number of positive cases continues to rise.
Public, mass testing sites are opening up once again and reservations are filling up fast.
Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner said the city is working to increase the number of test sites to keep up with the post-holiday demand.
The 1,000 appointments at Delmar Stadium filled quickly on Tuesday. The mass test site is already fully booked for Wednesday.
It was the same story at the Southwest Multi-Service Center.
The city is currently testing 27,000 people total at its multiple sites.
Turner returned to work after learning he had COVID-19 more than a week ago. He said he is working to get more testing sites up and running.
“I had a slight cough, a slightly itchy throat, a runny nose for about the first couple of days and then after that, I was pretty much fine,” Turner said.
He's double-vaccinated and received his booster shot before he got sick.
He said Houstonians returning from holiday travel want to be tested for COVID-19.
“There will be people over the next day, the next week, that’ll be coming back from their holiday travel, they will want to be tested,” Turner said. “So the instruction that I’ve given to the City of Houston Health Department is working in collaboration with our partners to exponentially ramp up testing from now until the end of January, and possibly beyond that.”
In addition to the multi-service centers and Delmar Stadium, Turner said another site will open at Minute Maid Park on Thursday.
The site at the ballpark will only have the capacity for about 400 appointments, however, Truner re-emphasized that more test sites are on the way. He says those will be announced soon.