Wake County Public Health to Alter Saturday Hours
In response to the current surge of COVID-19 cases, Wake County and its testing partners want to ensure residents are aware of all opportunities for COVID-19 testing throughout the community.
Since Dec. 29, 2021, more than 180,000 COVID-19 tests have been administered in Wake County. Of those, Wake County Public Health provided 47%.
“Being fully vaccinated and boosted, as well as having access to testing, are important tools in decreasing the spread of this virus, reducing hospitalizations and severe illness,” said Dr. José Cabañas, Wake County’s Chief Medical Officer. “If you test positive for COVID-19, we strongly encourage you to isolate at home for five days to avoid sharing this highly contagious variant with your family, friends and loved ones.”
New Testing Sites in Wake County
New sites continue to be added in Wake County through partnerships with the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services and other community testing providers.
Starting Tuesday, Jan. 18, Baptist on Mission will be moving its testing site from Southbridge Fellowship Church in Raleigh, to Summit Church – Capital Hills Campus in Raleigh. It will operate Monday through Friday from 3:30 to 7:30 p.m. The address is 3901 Capital Hills Drive, Raleigh. No appointments necessary, no out-of-pocket costs and insurance accepted but not required.
This site joins these other NCDHHS and community testing sites:
- WakeMed Soccer Park: Monday–Friday, 7 a.m.–4 p.m.
- PNC Arena (home to the Carolina Hurricanes): Monday–Friday, 7 a.m.–4 p.m. (hours are 7 a.m.–noon on game days or event days)
- Five County Stadium (home to the Carolina Mudcats): Monday–Friday, 7 a.m.–4 p.m.
- NEW: Starting Monday, Jan. 24, a COVID-19 drive-thru testing site will open at Highland Baptist Church in Garner. It will operate Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. The address is 8524 Crowder Road.
Results are received within 24–48 hours. Pre-registration is required. There are no out-of-pocket costs for testing at these sites. While staff will ask for insurance information if you have it, insurance is not necessary.
Wake County Public Health Testing
Wake County Public Health currently supports five testing sites that offer results within 12–24 hours, depending upon demand. These testing sites are still seeing thousands daily, although numbers are starting to show a slight decline in demand.
Much like many other employers and health care systems, Wake County Public Health is experiencing staffing issues. As a result, it is reducing hours on Saturdays to 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Previously, the sites were open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
This change will still allow Wake County Public Health to conduct about 8,000 tests across all five sites on Saturdays.
For now, 12-hour operations Monday through Friday will continue, accommodating more than 13,000 drive-thru appointments every weekday.
Wake County Public Health testing locations are located at the:
- 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; and
- Wake County Health & Human Services Center Parking Lot, 2845 Kidd Road, Raleigh.
Wake County Public Health testing sites will be closed on Monday, Jan. 17, in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day; however, PNC Arena, Five County Stadium and WakeMed Soccer Park will remain open.
Patience is appreciated at all sites throughout Wake County as long lines are expected to continue for the next few weeks. Appointments are available for Wake County Public Health testing sites at wakegov.com/testing.
At-Home Testing
NCDHHS is also allowing requests for free at-home testing kits. Kits are shipped overnight via FedEx. Follow the instructions and mail your sample back to the lab, using the prepaid shipping envelope included in your kit. Results will be available online usually within 1–2 days after the sample arrives at the lab.
Due to extremely high demand and limited supply, there may be delays in requesting and/or receiving these kits.
Staying Updated
Visit Wake County’s multilingual COVID-19 webpage for the latest information on COVID-19. It features a set of frequently asked questions to educate residents, COVID-19 vaccine information, COVID-19 testing locations and the most current data on how the virus is impacting our county.
Also, look for important updates about COVID-19 on Wake County’s Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts.
