Free coronavirus testing event continues to draw big crowd in Augusta
As the state reopens and protesters take to the streets, Augusta Fire/EMA Director Christopher James expressed concerns about a possible increase in coronavirus cases.
“I definitely think (an increase in cases) is a concern,” James said. “It’s a concern for me as I watch on television and you see some of the other events where social distancing is not taking place, everybody is not wearing masks. We are going to continue to educate and push that information out, but it is concern.”
He said they are encouraging everyone to get tested. He said testing is important to curtail people’s behavior and reduce the number of cases.
“If I test whether I’m asymptomatic or not and I’m positive and I know I’m positive, I’m going to stay home,” he said. “I encourage everyone to get tested whether you are a protester, you are not a protester, you are asymptomatic or you are symptomatic, I encourage everyone to get tested.”
On Friday, the Augusta Fire/EMA department held its fourth coronavirus testing event at Fire Station 1. James said 320 people pre-registered for the test and the department had the ability to test an additional 150 walk-ups.
Fire Station 1 was also the location for the first testing event May 6. James said they decided to return because of the need for the community in this particular area to get tested.
“Each time we are doing the testing, the registration maxes out, which indicates to us there is still a need to do the testing because the pre-registration is maxing out each time,” he said. “The response from the public at this point has shown us we need to continue to do this testing.”
James said they will have another testing event on Friday, June 12, but the location has not been determined. He said they are trying to find a location in south Augusta that will be able to handle the traffic seen at the previous testing events.
James said they are having conversations with local hospitals on a regular basis to determine the latest advancements in testing and treatment. He feels antibody testing will be available in the community in the future, as Augusta University continues to work on it.
From the first testing event to now, James said they’ve learned about what works and what doesn’t work in terms of set up and scheduling those who pre-register and those who don’t.
“We definitely learned the public feels there is a need to get tested. We continuously are getting very good turnout from the community to show up and get tested,” he said. “There is a huge segment of our community that takes it very seriously.”
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