Hoping to ease frustrating delays, Whatcom County Health Department announced Friday the expansion of the county’s COVID-19 testing.
The additional testing slots are reserved for those either experiencing COVID symptoms or having been exposed to someone with a confirmed case of COVID.
“These new appointment slots will help us get more people tested in a shorter timeframe, which has been a challenge during the omicron surge,” said Cindy Hollinsworth, Communicable Disease and Epidemiology Manager for the health department, in a press release.
The omicron variant of COVID-19 is blamed for a recent spike in the county’s COVID cases.
“We are seeing several hundred cases every day and new daily and weekly records have been set and broken multiple times this week alone,” according to a press release from the Whatcom County Health Department Jan. 11.
The health department partners with Bellingham’s Northwest Laboratory for its COVID testing. The county and the company jointly manage a testing facility near Bellingham International Airport. Many residents have reported wait times of a week or more to get appointments at the site during the surge in omicron infections in recent weeks.
Northwest Laboratory’s main laboratory drive-through testing on Meridian Street has been reserved for people arranging tests through health care providers.
“We’re grateful to Northwest Laboratory for their diligent efforts to increase their testing capacity,” Hollinsworth said in a press release.
To schedule a COVID test through the expanded testing, the health department suggests calling 360-778-6075, Monday through Friday except for holidays, 9 a.m. – 3 p.m.
This announcement comes on the heels of the Washington State Health Department announcing a website for delivery of at-home tests. The website would allow Washington residents to enter their address for home delivery of tests. However, the available tests ran out Friday, the same day the website launched.
