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Holiday rush for COVID-19 tests leads to long lines, empty shelves, delayed results

The federal government promised to ease the testing burden by providing 500 million free at-home COVID-19 tests in January.

GASTONIA, N.C. — Thousands of people across the Charlotte region spent their post-Christmas Monday waiting in long lines or searching store shelves for COVID-19 tests.

According to StarMed Healthcare, in the last week, their testing clinics recorded their highest number of weekly patients to date.

StarMed's main clinic near Freedom Drive reported a 21% COVID-19 positivity rate.

In Gastonia, Medical Center Pharmacy co-owner Don Thrower said their last shipment of at-home COVID-19 tests sold out in 10 minutes.

He's eagerly awaiting the federal government’s promise to deliver 500 million more at-home tests.

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"We have had a thousand calls today for the quick tests," Thrower said. "We need them now. We don't need them in January because people can't find them anywhere now."

Thrower emphasized the only way to get through the pandemic was for people to get the COVID-19 vaccine.

John Pearson came to Medical Center Pharmacy Monday evening to get the second dose of his COVID-19 vaccine.

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For nearly a month last summer, Pearson was in the hospital battling COVID-19 with nine of those days spent on a ventilator.

"I was so weak, I couldn't even walk -- I had to learn how to walk," Pearson recalled. "I couldn't even lift a five-pound dumbbell over my right arm."

He had to wait an additional three months after his infection before he was able to get the vaccine.

"I would definitely tell everyone to go get it," Pearson said.

Medical Center Pharmacy offers all three COVID-19 vaccines with no appointment required. Their location is 515 Cox Rd #0628, Gastonia, NC 28054, and their phone number is 704-867-5343.

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services provides a test locator and at-home test program, as well as additional information about COVID-19 testing.

The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control provides a test locator as well for locations in the Palmetto State.

Contact Brandon Golder at bgoldner@wcnc.com and follow him on FacebookTwitter and Instagram.

WCNC Charlotte is part of seven major media companies and other local institutions reporting on and engaging the community around the problems and solutions as they relate to the COVID-19 pandemic. It is a project of the Charlotte Journalism Collaborative, which is supported by the Local Media Project, an initiative launched by the Solutions Journalism Network with support from the Knight Foundation to strengthen and reinvigorate local media ecosystems. See all of our reporting at charlottejournalism.org.  

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