NEW HANOVER COUNTY — The rate of identifying new cases of Covid-19 in New Hanover County is continuing to slow down, averaging 22 cases a day this week compared to 53 a day in July.
Given the downturn, New Hanover County announced late Friday it would reduce availability at its drive-through testing center to weekly with the decreased demand.
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The county’s health department will work with community organization to partner with pop-up recurring testing site in areas where residents lack access to health insurance, transportation, identification, or other challenges, according to the county.
Once the sites are set up, the county and community partner will conduct outreach to ensure residents are aware of the service.
In total, New Hanover County has seen 3,118 total positive cases. Twenty-one residents have died from the virus.
“Earlier this summer we saw more widespread transmission of COVID-19 and a busy testing site, but as safety measures and the three Ws have been followed, we’re seeing a decrease in the prevalence of COVID-19 and the need for our drive-through testing site,” New Hanover County Assistant Health Director Carla Turner said in a press release. “COVID-19 is still present in our community and these safety measures need to continue, but we have an opportunity now to shift to a more direct outreach and targeted testing strategy, focusing on populations at higher risk of illness from COVID-19 and traditionally underserved communities. Our Call Center remains available to residents seeking testing resources and information about COVID-19, and that number is 910-798-6800.”
Check out the county’s Covid-19 dashboard for more information.
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