As state eases COVID-19 testing restrictions, some still struggle to secure an appointment
RALEIGH (WTVD) -- Health officials are trying to offer more COVID-19 testing in minority communities and easing restrictions. As of Tuesday, North Carolinians no longer need a doctor's order for a test.
That doesn't mean it's any easier for most people to get in somewhere for swabbing. While some folks can afford to go to a doctor, others are struggling to secure an appointment.
CVS boasts on its website there are more than 14,000 testing locations with "no cost to you." Yet, when ABC11 searched for a spot in Raleigh, no appointments were available store after store.
Wake County runs its own drive-thru events. The earliest available testing date, as of Wednesday night, was July 16.
The state is partnering with various organizations to offer pop-up testing sites.
There are not so far in Wake County, but people lined in a Cumberland County parking lot on Fayetteville State University's campus to test.
The test there takes about 15 minutes. The results take slightly longer than officials want because of a supply shortage.
"Testing has ramped up not only in North Carolina but across the country so - we're all dependent upon the same national supply chain," said NCDDHS Chief Medical Officer Dr. Elizabeth Tilson.
