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The Martin-Tyrrell-Washington District Health Department will be hosting a drive-thru COVID-19 testing clinic in Williamston at the Riverside High School parking lot (1260 Godwin Avenue, Williamston, NC 27892). This even will be held from 1-5pm and there are 200 appointment slots available, with the possibility of more slots based on demand. For this event, please call 252-791-3112 to schedule an appointment. Additional testing events are being planned for Plymouth, Creswell, and Columbia with our regional partners.

Health Director Wes Gray asks that “anyone who is concerned that they may have been in contact with someone with COVID-19 is encouraged to call for an appointment. If you currently have symptoms associated with COVID-19, do not wait until this event. Contact

your provider or the health department to schedule a test as quickly as possible.”

Any Martin, Tyrrell, or Washington County resident age 10 or older is eligible for this event.

Individuals with insurance will not have any out of pocket expenses, co-pays, or deductibles.

All insurances cover the COVID-19 diagnostic test, including Medicaid and Medicare.

Participants will have an opportunity to give their insurance information when they make the appointment so their time at the drive thru clinic will remain as short as possible.

Testing will also be available at no cost for uninsured residents. Results are expected within 72 hours.

This clinic is open to anyone who believes they may have come into contact with COVID-19, people that are caretakers, or for any other reason. Multiple patients can be tested per vehicle, but each person will need an appointment. Only those with an appointment will be eligible for a test. Any person who is tested should isolate at home until the test results return as negative. The Health Department will follow up on any positive results with further information and guidance.

Over the last several months, the State Laboratory of Public Health and private testing labs have increased their capacity to test for COVID-19. As of June 5th, there have been 482,147 tests for COVID-19 performed in North Carolina. These tests have been done by health departments, private offices, Federally Qualified Health Centers, hospitals, and other partners. The number of completed tests since testing began in March represents approximately 4.6% of the population of North Carolina.

As the capacity to test has increased, North Carolina is moving towards a goal of testing 5% of the population each month. In order to meet this goal, guidelines for testing have been adjusted and there has been an effort to open more testing sites around the state.

COVID-19 has symptoms similar to the flu. They include fever, cough, shortness of breath, chills, muscle pain, headache, sore throat, and the loss of taste or smell. If you have mild symptoms, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that you stay at home and contact your provider if you need medical advice or guidance on testing. If you do not have insurance and you need medical care, call your nearest Federally Qualified Health Center or the Health Department.

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services has published a list of statewide testing sites. If you think you need a test to determine if you have COVID-19, contact the local office on this list or your local healthcare provider and share your symptoms. You can find the list of sites at:

https://files.nc.gov/covid/documents/about/testing/collection-sites.pdf

The Martin-Tyrrell-Washington District Health Department tests for COVID-19 at the following locations:

• Martin County Health Center: 210 West Liberty Street, Williamston, NC 27892
• Washington County Health Center: 198 NC Highway 45 North, Plymouth, NC

27962 (behind Pines Elementary School)

• Tyrrell County Health Center: 408 Bridge Street, Columbia, NC 27925

Call 252-793-3023 to schedule an appointment.

The State of North Carolina and the Martin-Tyrrell-Washington District Health Department report the total number of positive COVID-19 cases, the total number of Recovered Cases, the total number of deaths related to COVID-19, and the number of active cases for our county. Positive cases are reported in the county where the patient resides. We continue to emphasize that many people with COVID-19 may not be included in these case counts – including the following groups:

• People who do not feel sick
• People who had symptoms but did not seek care or testing and who “self- quarantined”
• People who sought care but may have been recommended by their provider to self-quarantine or they did not meet current CDC guidelines for testing
• People with COVID-19 which was not detected by the coronavirus test

“COVID-19 positive tests give us an incomplete view of the true rate of infections or spread of COVID-19 in North Carolina and in our District. As we continue with Phase 2 of

reopening, it is crucial that we continue to practice good social distancing measures until we see a downward trend in new cases of the virus,” says Wes Gray, Health Director.

Visit www.mtwdistricthealth.org for the latest information on COVID-19 (coronavirus).