Medical care facilities around the Capital Region and across the state are getting inundated by people seeking to be tested for COVID-19.
“We’re quite busy,” said Dr. Nosa Aigbe Lebarty. “We’re seeing between 80 to 100 patients a day.”
Lebarty leads the staff at CentralMed Urgent Care in Colonie. He says a majority of the patients are seeking a COVID-19 test.
“Anybody comes in with the sniffles, you’ve got to test for the big guns,” Lebarty said. “Anybody comes in with shortness of breath, you’ve got to test for the big guns.”
Months ago, he says the demand for testing was not as great, manageable. Now, there is a wait list on his front door.
What You Need To Know
- COVID-19 testing sites around the Capital Region and across the state are extremely busy
- CentralMed Urgent Care in Colonie sees about 100 patients a day, and a majority are seeking a COVID-19 test
- County leaders are calling on the state to reestablish mass testing sites in hopes of alleviating some of the pressure
“There is a need for it,” Lebarty said. “For work, for school.”
He says his staff is making it work, but he’s worried that won’t be the case if this becomes the new norm.
“Even without COVID, this is usually the busy time of the year, the winter months,” he said. “It will not abate until probably late-February, middle of March.”
County executives across the state Tuesday called on state leaders to reopen some mass testing sites.
“It would be helpful if we went back to mass testing sites as we do the third vaccine going forward,” said Albany County Executive Dan McCoy.
Lebarty believes his office will still be busy, but says a mass testing site should alleviate some of the pressure.
“There is so much people you can get, we can fit in a 10-hour period,” he said. “So those sites are helpful for those who we cannot see.”
