Demand for COVID-19 testing is surging after the holidays in greater Cincinnati.COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and the number of people being tested have climbed significantly since the week leading up to Christmas.At Gravity Diagnostics’ testing site in Covington Monday, it took people waiting in line hours to get tested due to demand.”It was wrapped around a couple of different blocks,” Stephen Heck from Pleasant Ridge said. “I just want to know if I’m clear so I can get back to work and know if I can be around my other kids and my wife.”At the time, Heck had been sitting in line for two hours and had not made it inside the gated testing site yet. He thought the line was long last week when he came for a test and tested positive. “I was out of town for work and then Monday I started feeling bad. I think I got it in Chicago,” he said, adding that his daughter also tested positive.”I had my vaccine and the booster shot too. I wasn’t too sick so I’m grateful I had those,” Heck said. Alex Notton had a long wait too.”It’s annoying. I went online, tried to find a place where I could get an appointment – a CVS or a Walgreens or a Kroger or something and I couldn’t get an appointment anywhere and this is the only place I could find. I’ve been waiting for over an hour now,” he said. He said he had a fever and sore throat and thinks he may have been infected during the Christmas holiday.”My whole family was together. We’re all vaccinated so we thought it’d be safe,” he said. “This is potentially the second time I’ve had COVID. I had it before I got vaccinated and it was way worse the first time, so go out and get your shot if you haven’t.”Dr. Suzanne Bennett with UC Health is echoing that message. Bennett works in the cardiovascular intensive care unit. “It’s quite hard to watch these patients without their family members dying,” she said. “The number of patients that are in the ICU that are vaccinated is less than one percent in our institution.”Bennett said staffing shortages are making this COVID-19 surge more difficult to navigate. “We have people who are calling in sick off of work, whether it be that they have COVID or they’re just burned out,” she said. “So now we have more patients and fewer people to take care of them.” Bennett fears what the next several weeks will look like, especially knowing Christmas gatherings will likely contribute to the more rapid spread of the virus.”My fear is probably shared by everyone in health care and it’s that we won’t be able to meet the needs of our community,” she said. “It’s hard to imagine, but I certainly expect it. When we’re looking at the numbers and the projections, we would be foolish not to expect it and try to prepare for that.”
Demand for COVID-19 testing is surging after the holidays in greater Cincinnati.
COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and the number of people being tested have climbed significantly since the week leading up to Christmas.
At Gravity Diagnostics’ testing site in Covington Monday, it took people waiting in line hours to get tested due to demand.
“It was wrapped around a couple of different blocks,” Stephen Heck from Pleasant Ridge said. “I just want to know if I’m clear so I can get back to work and know if I can be around my other kids and my wife.”
At the time, Heck had been sitting in line for two hours and had not made it inside the gated testing site yet. He thought the line was long last week when he came for a test and tested positive.
“I was out of town for work and then Monday I started feeling bad. I think I got it in Chicago,” he said, adding that his daughter also tested positive.
“I had my vaccine and the booster shot too. I wasn’t too sick so I’m grateful I had those,” Heck said.
Alex Notton had a long wait too.
“It’s annoying. I went online, tried to find a place where I could get an appointment – a CVS or a Walgreens or a Kroger or something and I couldn’t get an appointment anywhere and this is the only place I could find. I’ve been waiting for over an hour now,” he said.
He said he had a fever and sore throat and thinks he may have been infected during the Christmas holiday.
“My whole family was together. We’re all vaccinated so we thought it’d be safe,” he said. “This is potentially the second time I’ve had COVID. I had it before I got vaccinated and it was way worse the first time, so go out and get your shot if you haven’t.”
Dr. Suzanne Bennett with UC Health is echoing that message. Bennett works in the cardiovascular intensive care unit.
“It’s quite hard to watch these patients without their family members dying,” she said. “The number of patients that are in the ICU that are vaccinated is less than one percent in our institution.”
Bennett said staffing shortages are making this COVID-19 surge more difficult to navigate.
“We have people who are calling in sick off of work, whether it be that they have COVID or they’re just burned out,” she said. “So now we have more patients and fewer people to take care of them.”
Bennett fears what the next several weeks will look like, especially knowing Christmas gatherings will likely contribute to the more rapid spread of the virus.
“My fear is probably shared by everyone in health care and it’s that we won’t be able to meet the needs of our community,” she said. “It’s hard to imagine, but I certainly expect it. When we’re looking at the numbers and the projections, we would be foolish not to expect it and try to prepare for that.”