Free COVID-19 testing events set for Beaufort, Hampton counties. Here’s when and where
A handful of COVID-19 testing clinics have been scheduled in Beaufort and Hampton counties over the next two weeks.
All of the events are free, according to the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control. No appointments are needed:
A “pop-up” testing clinic on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the Beaufort County Health Department at 601 Wilmington St. in Beaufort.
Testing events Friday and Oct. 19 from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. in West Varnville at the Hampton County Health Department, 531 W. Carolina Ave.
Three drive-thru testing clinics in Yemassee on Oct. 22, Oct. 23 and Oct. 24. All of the events are from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the town’s municipal complex, 101 Town Circle.
Coronavirus conditions have improved around the Lowcountry since mid-August.
In Beaufort County, hospitalizations are down. Daily case counts have dropped. And the average percentage of positive coronavirus tests week-to-week is in the single digits.
Experts, though, worry that a confluence of issues could lead to a surge of new infections this fall, as cooler weather sets in, flu season begins and kids return to schools for face-to-face instruction.
States across the Midwest have logged record-high case counts this week. New infections, meanwhile, are trending up in 39 states, according to The New York Times.
Dr. Linda Bell, DHEC’s top epidemiologist, has encouraged residents to get a flu shot.
“We don’t want to overwhelm our hospital systems, our intensive care unit beds, our ventilators,” Bell told reporters Friday. “To the extent that we can prevent flu, we must.”
