Doc recommends waiting 5 to 7 days to get tested after Thanksgiving
With the Thanksgiving holiday behind us, the demand for COVID-19 tests will likely grow this week.
Drive-thru testing sites open in Wake County at 7 a.m. on Monday days before Wake County Public Health switches to an appointment-only system for all COVID-19 testing.
Beginning Wednesday, people seeking tests must make an appointment by visiting wakegov.com/testing or calling 1-888-675-4567. Thousands of appointments will be available each day. The appointment system has already opened if people wish to schedule before Wednesday.
Dr. David Wohl, an infectious disease specialist at UNC Health, recommends getting tested for COVID-19 if you could have possibly been exposed over Thanksgiving but said you should wait several days.
“The best test is a PCR test ... I would say five to seven days after your last exposure would be when you want to get tested, anything before that is too soon," he said.
Wake County appointments will be available in 15-minute intervals from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. All sites use self-administered PCR tests, which require people to swab inside their nose. Results are usually returned in less than 24 hours.
Wake County’s testing locations include:
- Wake County Southern Regional Center, 130 N. Judd Parkway NE, Fuquay-Varina
- Wake County Northern Regional Center, 350 E. Holding Ave., Wake Forest
- Wake County Eastern Regional Center, 1002 Dogwood Drive, Zebulon
- Vision Church RDU Parking Lot, 5808 Departure Drive, Raleigh
- Wake County Health & Human Services Center Parking Lot, 2845 Kidd Road, Raleigh
You can also get a free rapid at-home test through the county.
Find information about Wake County Public Health testing sites here.
