Pittsboro, NC – The Chatham County Public Health Department has been working with multiple testing providers to offer new options across the county throughout the week. The department has partnered with Optum Health for two sites, one each in Pittsboro and Siler City, and StarMed Healthcare for three sites, one each in Pittsboro, Siler City and Goldston. Additionally, local urgent cares and pharmacies are also offering testing. To see a full list, which is updated regularly, visit here.
The new Optum testing sites are:
Pittsboro: Old Chatham County Agriculture Building (in front of Justice Center), 65 E. Chatham Street, Monday-Friday, 10 AM-6 PMSiler City: Chatham Hospital Medical Office Building (located behind Chatham Hospital), 163 Medical Park Drive, Monday-Friday, 5 PM-8 PMTests are freeWalk-ins welcome, or pre-register at lhi.care/covidtesting.
Those who should be tested include:
People who have symptoms of COVID-19.People who have had close contact (within 6 feet for a total of 15 minutes or more over a 24-hour period) with someone with confirmed COVID-19.Unvaccinated people who have taken part in activities that put them at higher risk for COVID-19 because they cannot physically distance as needed to avoid exposure, such as travel, attending large social or mass gatherings, or being in crowded or poorly ventilated indoor settings.People who have been asked or referred to get tested by their healthcare provider or public health department.Fully vaccinated people should be tested 3-5 days following an exposure to someone with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 and wear a mask in public indoor settings for 14 days or until they receive a negative test result.People who are not fully vaccinated should quarantine and be tested immediately after being identified, and, if negative, tested again in 5–7 days after last exposure or immediately if symptoms develop during quarantine.People who have tested positive for COVID-19 within the past 3 months and recovered do not need to get tested following an exposure as long as they do not develop new symptoms.
Residents who have questions about the COVID-19 vaccine or testing can call the CCPHD COVID-19 Vaccine Infoline at (919) 545-8323.
More than half of Chatham County is now fully vaccinated against COVID-19, but the county continues to experience high community transmission of the virus due to the infectiousness of the Delta variant. The vast majority of COVID-19 hospitalizations and deaths across the state are among those who are not fully vaccinated. Unvaccinated people are also more likely to get COVID-19 and spread it to others.
Over the last 7 days, Chatham County has seen 137 new cases of COVID-19 and 8.2% of COVID-19 tests have come back positive, according to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC). This pushed Chatham over 6,000 total cases since the beginning of the pandemic. This shows how important it is that all residents continue to wear a mask in indoor public settings. Most importantly, all eligible residents should be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. A full list of Chatham County vaccine providers can be found at www.vaccines.gov.
To learn more about the COVID-19 vaccine and the CCPHD’s vaccination plans, visit here. To learn more about the Chatham County Public Health Department, visit here or facebook.com/chathamhealth.