HOUSTON — There’s a rush on COVID-19 testing ahead of Thanksgiving. Harris County Public Health has seen testing increased by 50%.
“Actually, we have seen an increase in our testing demand," Dr. Sherri Onyiego said.
She attributes it not just to the holiday, but to the countywide text message Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo sent out last week.
“So far, we are still seeing a good turnaround time with our lab results," she said.
For Harris County, the turnaround for a PCR test is on average 24 to 48 hours, but testing negative doesn’t mean you don’t have the virus.
For example, if day one is your exposure, even on day five you could still test negative. If on day eight you gather with family and friends, you could be the most contagious. You may not show symptoms until 14 days after initial exposure.
“It is not safe for people to gather in large groups or to sit down at the table with their immediate households," Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner said.
He says the positivity rate in the City of Houston is now 8.8%. While hospitalizations are not where they were this summer, they are steadily rising.
“This is really not the time to get complacent and let up off the gas, we still have to do our part to do the right thing," Onyiego said.
What about after Thanksgiving? If you think you were exposed, doctors say it’s best to wait at least five days before getting tested to make sure you don’t get a false negative result from testing too early.