As COVID-19 vaccination efforts accelerate, health experts caution decrease in testing

Just a few months ago, lines stretched for miles, with waits upwards of four hours, for people wanting to get tested. Now, some counties, like Wayne County, have closed testing centers to put all their efforts into vaccinations.

But health experts urge caution in that method.

"It is a multi-prong approach [to fighting the coronavirus]. The vaccines are wonderful to get it to people across the state of North Carolina, but we need to be diligent with our testing mechanism," said Dr. Amir Barzin, a family physician with UNC Health.

Barzin said there are several reasons why testing is still vital to fighting the virus, even with vaccines available.

"We want to find those cases that are occurring, isolate them and continue to control the spread," he said. "That is how we win. We work on controlling the spread of the virus and protecting people against the virus."

Jensen Maze said he got tested a lot in the beginning of the pandemic. Despite cases and testing numbers going down, Maze said he knows the importance of knowing your status.

"Testing is still very important. Any type of knowledge is important," he added.

Health experts continue to advise people to get tested if they have symptoms of the virus or you think they might have been exposed to it.