LEWES, Del. -Â Many people plan to visit loved ones this week, and as COVID cases climb, there is a demand for testing. People still have time to get tested in Delaware and Maryland before their gatherings.
Governor Larry Hogan announced Wednesday, Maryland has completed 1 million COVID-19 tests in schools and that number is only expected to rise. But here in Sussex County, Aspira Health says it's testing numbers have doubled almost everyday through this entire week.
There are long waits at testing sites and home tests are hard to come by. Cape Pharmacy in Five Points is offering COVID-19 testing.
"We have a lot of people asking for the home tests which are near to impossible to obtain at this point, but once we tell them we can do it and they get the results in 48 hours, they are pretty happy," said Joli Martini, pharmacist and part owner of Cape Pharmacy.
At Cape Pharmacy, it is really easy to register for a COVID-19 test, all you have to do is come up to the window, scan the QR code and follow the instructions on the prompt.
There are two types of tests, PCR and rapid antigen tests.Â
"There's over the counter rapid antigen testing, for example that's the Binax OTC, that's one they can do in the comfort of their own home," said chief physician at Delaware Division of Public Health, Dr. Michael Coletta.
If those are gone at your local pharmacy, your best bet would be to order a vault PCR test on the state's website, but that could still take days.
"The accuracy between the at home test and the rapid anitgen test you would get at a pharmacy are the exact same test. It's just that if you were to do it at home depending on how well you follow the instructions could dictate how accurate the test is," said Dr. Coletta.
You can also get tested at Aspira Health, but the demand for testing is so high that they have limited testing to symptomatic patients, but they will honor current appointments that are already on the books.
"We normally see a 10 percent positivity rate, right now it's somewhere between 25 and 30 percent of patients that come in and get tested are positive," said Dr. Albanese, CEO and Managing Director at Aspira.
Aspira staff is working overtime to get tests completed, but Dr. Albanese has one message if you can't get a test in time for Christmas.
"If you're going to travel for the holidays to see loved ones and you've been exposed and are having symptoms, if you can't get a test, I would advise you to cancel your plans or reschedule them for another time," said Dr. Albanese.
WRDE asked Dr. Coletta if at home tests can be used as proof of testing and he says it all depends on who's requesting the test because some people require a PCR test. Cape Pharmacy is also testing at Lewes Library for staff and patrons next week.
Click here for Delaware testing sites. Click here for Maryland testing sites.
