COVID-19 tests are in short supply as cases spike in Arizona.
Jessica Rigler of the Arizona Department of Health Services says the number of tests reported to the state roughly doubled in the last few weeks, to more than four hundred thousand weekly.
The positivity rate also rose, to more than thirty percent.
"We’ve seen some situations in which testing sites have their own staff that have been out ill with COVID-19, and that’s led them to need to reduce hours or operational days or perhaps extend wait times at their locations," she says.
Rigler says Arizonans should NOT go to emergency rooms for COVID testing if they do not require urgent care. She says the best defense is to get vaccinated, isolate when sick, and keep searching for test appointments or at-home test kits. U.S. residents can sign up to receive four free test kits from the federal government starting this week.
Looking for a COVID test?
Search for testing sites statewide at www.azhealth.gov/testing
Order free at-home COVID tests at https://www.covidtests.gov/
Local pharmacies, including: CVS, Walgreens, and Walmart
Coconino County testing information
Navajo County testing information
Apache County testing information
Mohave County testing information
Yavapai County testing information
Navajo Nation testing information
Looking for a COVID vaccine?
Vaccines are available from most local pharmacies. Here’s a map of statewide vaccination sites from Arizona Department of Health Services, for ages five and older.
