Camden, Glynn will change to appointment-only coronavirus testing next week

FILE - In this May 13, 2020, file photo, test swabs and specimen tubes sit on a table at a COVID-19 testing site at the Abyssinian Baptist Church in the Harlem neighborhood of New York. Public health officials have said robust testing for the coronavirus is essential to safely lifting stay-at-home orders and business closures, but states are creating confusion in the way they are reporting the data. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer) (Mary Altaffer, Copyright 2020 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

Camden and Glynn counties are switching to appointment-only testing for COVID-19 to prevent long lines and wait times at area testing sites.

The Coastal Health District announced the change Friday, saying it would begin Tuesday in Camden County and Wednesday in Glynn County.

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The testing criteria have not changed, and anyone can be tested for free with an appointment.

“Demand for COVID-19 testing has increased significantly in the Coastal Health District and around the state of Georgia,” said Dr. Lawton Davis, Health Director of the Coastal Health District. “A coordinated, appointment-only testing program will help our employees manage the flow and anticipate the number of people who will be coming for specimen collection.”

To support the COVID-19 testing program, the Coastal Health District is adding 17 contract nurses and 42 temporary administrative support personnel at specimen collection sites and testing call centers across the region.

“COVID-19 is an enormous public health crisis, but our communities still rely on us for public health services like immunizations, testing for sexually transmitted diseases, health screenings and more,” said Davis. “We need to increase our workforce so we can provide critical COVID-19 testing services without neglecting our other duties.”

For a list of free COVID-19 testing options through public health in the district’s counties, visit its website at covid19.gachd.org.

Camden County

Drive-through testing will be available by appointment every Tuesday morning at the Camden County Health Department at 905 Dilworth Street in St. Marys, beginning Tuesday, July 7.

To make an appointment, call 912-230-9744.

The call center is open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m., and Saturdays from 8:30 a.m. – Noon.

Glynn County

Beginning next week, the drive-through testing site at the Glynn County Health Department will be operational Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and alternating Saturdays.

On Monday, July 6, no appointment is required for testing, and the site will be operational from 8 a.m. – 11 a.m. with the capacity to test 250 individuals. The drive-through will close when the line reaches capacity.

On Wednesday, July 8, testing will transition to appointment only.

The health department will begin taking calls to schedule appointments on Monday at 8 a.m.

To make an appointment, call 912-230-9744.

The call center is open Monday - Friday, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m., and Saturdays from 8:30 a.m. – Noon.


About the Author:

A Jacksonville native and proud University of North Florida alum, Francine Frazier has been with News4Jax since 2014 after spending nine years at The Florida Times-Union.