Halifax County gets COVID testing mega-site -- but surrounding counties still struggling

However, other nearby counties nearby say they haven't received the same offer – despite facing the same problems and having larger populations.

In just the two days it's been open, the mega-site in Roanoke Rapids has already tested hundreds of people – as many tests as some other counties get in a week.

Nash County told WRAL News they want their own mega-site, so WRAL News asked the state how they choose where to invest the money.

The site is just off I-95 in Halifax County at the Roanoke Rapids Theatre, creating a partnership between the state and Radeas Labs that will give the surrounding community as many tests as it needs for the next three weeks – with no appointment necessary.

"The resources are slim at our health department. And at many of the providers. The hospital, of course, overwhelmed. So this offering is incredible," said Bruce Robistow, the health director for Halifax County.

He says the site has been a godsend for his rural county, which has struggled to secure enough testing supplies.

He says getting the site set up was simple: They applied for it from the State Department of Health and Human Services, and they were approved.

"We were one of ten counties, only ten counties that were offering this. So we’re taking advantage of the state’s offerings," he said.

While Halifax has testing taken care of for now, multiple other counties have continued struggling to meet their demand.

Nash County and Wayne County both have more than double the population of Halifax, and both county health departments have had to stop testing multiple times in recent weeks due to lack of supplies.

When WRAL News asked Bill Hill, the Nash County Health Director, whether the state had suggested for him to apply for a mega-site, he said no.

"Somebody hasn’t hit us over the head and said, 'Hey, we’ve got resources!' because that would be a great resource. It would help out the hospital lab. It’d help us out," said Hill.

When WRAL News asked the Kody Kinsley, the new secretary for the NC Department of Health and Human Services, why the sites appear to have been offered to some counties and not others, he said that in choosing locations, the state focuses on areas that don't have many private labs available and have historically struggled with access to healthcare.

"First and foremost, our priority is making sure that we can reach people that don't have access in the private market. Equity is really at the core of our all of the work that we do and making sure that we're reaching folks," said Kinsley.

The Nash County health director says he plans to ask the state for a mega-site, and a spokesperson for Wayne County says their health department is checking to see if they have an offer.

The site in Roanoke Rapids will be up and running until February 18.