MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Md. — At the peak of the pandemic, testing centers were booming. Now, there has been a shift. Fewer people in places like Montgomery County are getting tested for COVID-19, despite an increase in cases there.
For months, COVID-19 test sites have been a go-to for people trying to figure out if they have the coronavirus, but in recent weeks fewer people have been using them.
The Silver Spring Civic Building is one of many locations that have seen a sharp decline. At its peak, at least 1,000 tests were being done a day and now it is only half the volume, according to County Health Officer Dr. Travis Gayles.
“We’ve seen decreased testing across the state and to some degree, across the nation as well, “ said Dr. Gayles, who referenced something called ‘testing fatigue.’
“Testing fatigue refers to this type of phenomenon where we see people getting tested less frequently,” Dr. Gayles explained. “There was a significant push to get people tested starting June and July when we had more access to self- collection kits.”
Dr. Gayles said there used to be increased guidance that encouraged individuals who were asymptomatic to get tested as well. He said people should not hesitate to get tested if they have been exposed to someone positive, exhibit symptoms or may be vulnerable to comorbidity.
“We’re very clear to folks at home that you should still get tested and providers still should test individuals outside of the symptomatic group,” Dr. Gayles said.
As public health officials encourage more people to stay on top of testing, cases are slowly rising in Montgomery County, according to county health data.
Since Labor Day weekend, when most of Maryland entered Phase 3, the average number of daily cases increased from 70 to more than 100, according to Dr. Gayles.
However, there has been no comparable increase to hospitalizations or people dying from the virus as the demographic shifts to a younger group of people.
“Previously a majority of cases were in the 40 and up crowd,” Dr. Gayles said. “ Now, it’s the 0 to 30 age group.”
Dr. Gayles said the group with the sharpest increase is those 19 and under.
“We just want to make sure folks at home understand this is hard, this is difficult but we need you to remain vigilant because ultimately that’s what’s going to continue to drive the numbers down,” Dr. Gayles said.
Montgomery County has a new contract with Cian Diagnostics, which provided interim testing last month when the state issued a cease-and-desist order to previous test supplier AdvaGenix over lab practices.
If you like to find a test site in Montgomery County, click here.