Cary COVID Report: January 20, 2022

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Cary, NC — It’s the first COVID report of the new year and the big focus of the pandemic is now on testing accessibility and reaching the end of the Omicron wave.

Cary Testing Site Open Through January 31st

On January 12, a new, no-appointment-needed testing site opened at Cary’s WakeMed Soccer Park.

The site is managed by the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services and will be open through the end of January with weekday hours of 7 AM to 4 PM, Monday through Friday.

According to the Town of Cary in a news release, the tests being used are PCR tests and results will typically be available in 24-28 hours. Pre-registration will be required, but appointments are not. Additionally, there are no out-of-pocket costs for testing at this site.

The provider is asking for insurance information for those who have it, but insurance is not necessary. For more information, visit Wake County’s website or any of these resources:

Charts Begin Downward Trend After January 10 Record Highs

Source: North Carolina COVID-19 Dashboard

The day that has seen the highest amount of COVID cases reported in a single day since the start of the pandemic in March 2020 was just over a week ago — January 10, 2022. On that day, Johns Hopkins reported a total daily case count across the United States of 1,369,226 new cases.

Since that day, in both North Carolina and national case charts, the needle began to fall again slightly, signaling what appears to be the beginning of the Omicron variant’s downfall.

Free, At-Home Tests Now Available Across U.S.

The U.S. is currently averaging 777,453 new Covid-19 cases and 1,797 new deaths per day, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. To help in the effort to detect new cases and combat the ongoing shortage of tests, the federal government has gotten a website up and running to get 4 at-home tests per household shipped out to all who inquire via USPS.

The tests can be ordered at www.covidtests.gov and only a name and address are required to receive the tests. No insurance or payment information is needed. A few things to note about these tests, as described on the website, is that the tests available for order:

  • Are rapid antigen at-home tests, not PCR
  • Can be taken anywhere
  • Give results within 30 minutes (no lab drop-off required)
  • Work whether or not you have COVID-⁠19 symptoms
  • Work whether or not you are up to date on your COVID-⁠19 vaccines
  • Are also referred to as self-tests or over-the-counter (OTC) tests

Story by Ashley Kairis. Photos courtesy of Town of Cary, USPS and the North Carolina COVID-19 Dashboard.

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