CLEVES, Ohio — The rush to get a COVID-19 test continues, but one place in the Tri-State had a short wait.
Ethos Laboratories opened up a drive-thru PCR testing site at Crossroads Church Westside Thursday morning. The facility will be open Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at least through the end of the month.
Jennifer Millard, marketing manager with Ethos Laboratories, said the agency opened up the new site because of a growing need for more tests.
“Holidays, parties, going back to school, the omicron variant,” Millard said.
Those who got tested at Crossroads, like Myra Pennington, welcomed the short lines. Pennington said she was having trouble finding a place to get tested.
“The urgent cares are booked, the hospitals tell you not to come there, I think it should be more easier to find,” said Pennington.
Pennington was exposed to COVID by a family member.
“It’s very important [to get tested],” she said. “You don’t want to pass it on to someone else.”
COVID cases hit an all-time high in Ohio Wednesday, as the state reported more than 5,000 people hospitalized. That's why Dr. Patty Manning, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital chief of staff, is urging people to reconsider New Year's Eve plans.
“Even if you can test yourself…we really want you to strongly consider your plans,” Manning said. “If you’re going to be in a large group of people that you don’t know well, we want you to wear a mask, we absolutely want you to be vaccinated and boosted if possible and we want you to be distancing if you can especially from people in your life who might be more vulnerable.”
Manning said she expects super-spreader events to occur Friday night.
“We will see some super spreader events — those have been going on all along,” Manning said. “Maybe the responsible thing to do for several days afterward is to hunker down and not be around other people.”
Although the advice is the same as it’s been during past holidays — to mask up, not be in large crowds, get vaccinated — Manning said the situation this time is different.
“I think the main difference is that we know how transmissible Omicron is. we know that if you’re around it, you’re going to get it. If it’s in your household, you’re going to get it.”
To register for a COVID test at Crossroads Church Westside, click here.
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