The world has changed significantly since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic to say the least. After a country wide lockdown America has lifted the mandatory quarantine allowing businesses and the public to operate similar to how it was before the pandemic. Major changes have occurred in terms of hospitals, produce/good deliveries, and travel restrictions. America has seen hospitals filled with COVID-19 patients, even more so after the emergence of the Delta and Omicron variants. The most important aspects of staying safe during this pandemic include limiting contact with people in general but especially those that have the virus, consistently wearing a mask in public places, getting tested often, and lastly getting vaccinated to amplify the effectiveness of all the other preventative methods.
The Center for COVID Control (CCC) is a means of free COVID-19 testing in many places nationally. They are an organization with employees that work long hours on the front lines to provide free testing in communities so that those who are positive can quarantine and take the necessary steps needed to stay safe as well as keep those around them safe.The CCC offers workplace testing and it is a very optimal for businesses as they actually come to your business’ location and screen the people. It’s faster than waiting for a multitude of employees to do this separately.
Their objective is to have tests administered quickly and to have the results to patients as quickly as possible. With the new COVID-19 variants schools nationwide are going back to online schooling because of the virus’ high susceptibility. “COVID-19 tends to be milder in children compared with adults, but CDC’s COVID-NET shows that pediatric hospitalizations with or for COVID-19 are now at their highest rate since the start of the pandemic.
Most of these hospitalizations are because of COVID-19, although some are children who were admitted for other causes but tested positive for COVID-19 when they were admitted or during their hospital stay.”, according to the CDC. This is a good precaution to take for the children considering the spike, but will certainly cause problems for those who must actively go into work and have no means of watching their child.
Getting tested is so important because detection is key in slowing the procession of the virus and the spread. A positive test gives individuals an opportunity to isolate themselves – reducing the likelihood they will transmit to others as well as give them an opportunity to get treated. This early detection gives people that have contracted COVID-19 a greater chance for survival.
Testing is a very quick process and commonly requires a nasal or oral swab to accurately diagnose a patient. Once this is complete, a few days later a patient can expect their results, sometimes sooner.
According to the CDC 62.8% of the United States’ population is vaccinated as of January 14, 2022. This is a very positive sign as the country moves forward. Along with this, testing has had a severe spike in the United States. According to Johns Hopkins’ Coronavirus Resource Center, January 10, 2022 saw 5,936,932 new tests with a 25.9% positivity rate (7-day moving average).
As it stands, this year has begun with a positive spike in COVID-19 cases that surpass that of last winter. January 14, 2021 saw a single day high of hospitalizations at 142,315 people and January 10, 2022 broke that record with 142,388, according to data from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
In addition to the importance of getting tested before or in the midst of COVID-19 contraction it is important to get tested even after contraction. Considering the CDC has shortened the quarantine period, it has been suggested another immediate test be administered.
“There has been some concern about why we don’t ask people at that five-day period to get tested,” Fauci said on January second. “Looking at it again, there may be an option in that, that testing could be a part of that, and I think we’re going to be hearing more about that in the next day or so from the CDC.”
It makes sense that prematurely clearing a COVID-19 patient before they’re sure that they are free of COVID, is fallacious in thinking. The Center for COVID Control is one of the companies persons can seek when wanting to get COVID-19 tested in a situation like this.
Currently, the United States is in shortage of testing resources which has many people in a frenzy. It is good citizens are concerned about their health and others’ but the issue remains. In places like Louisiana the shortage is more severe. In the midst of recently passed federal policy requiring health insurance providers to cover the costs of at-home COVID-19 tests“They’re leading people to believe that after Jan. 15, they can just show up at a pharmacy and get a free test, but it’s obviously not going to work like that. We can’t get them,” says TJ Woodard of Prescriptions To Geaux, a pharmacy in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Shortage of testing availability s is an evident problem during this pandemic and a multitude of companies are overwhelmed.
The Center for COVID Control is rapidly growing and is continuing to work towards testing for all. They released several statements via their website amongst recent examinations.
“Certain Center for Covid Control (CCC) locations are experiencing high demand for testing due to the Omicron variant surge. This unusually high patient demand has stressed staffing resources, as has been widely reported, in a subset of our locations, affecting our usual customer service standards and diagnostic goals.
CCC acknowledges this operational strain on customer access and delivery of results/status in some locations and remains determined to provide accurate, trusted testing for our thousands of customers. To this end, and to ensure the highest customer service and diagnostic quality, the company is announcing today it will temporarily pause further collection of patient specimens effective Friday, January 14, 2022, with plans to reopen Saturday, January 22, 2022.”
Look forward to their centers opening to get your screening.
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