The line to get tested for COVID-19 wrapped around the Rapides Parish Coliseum on Tuesday for much of the day.
Dr. David Holcombe, the Region Six medical director for the Office of Public Health, said the line didn’t come as a surprise, especially after the Christmas holiday weekend.
Dr. Holcombe said, at one point in the day, they had about 70 vehicles with people inside waiting to be tested. Fortunately, he said many were only experiencing mild symptoms of the omicron variant.
“On Thursday, (Dec. 23) we did 240 tests,” said Dr. Holcombe. “I’m pretty sure today we’ve already exceeded that. We’ll probably hit 400. We do have a line, but we have 20 slots going simultaneously with the National Guard and our other helpers. We’re going as fast as we can. But, it takes 15 minutes to test. People do have to wait a little bit.”
Dr. Holcombe said other regions around the state were experiencing the same lines.
“It is crazy in every single region,” he told us. “There are a few that do testing like we do. They are wrapping around the building and have parking lots full. It’s really kind of crazy.”
The Rapides Parish Coliseum location remains free to get tested. The location is open from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. for the week of Dec. 28-30. The location is also offering COVID-19 vaccines, booster shots, and flu shots.
For more information, call 1-855-453-0774.
https://www.kalb.com/2021/12/28/line-wraps-around-rapides-parish-coliseum-covid-19-testing/