ST. LOUIS — Only a couple of hours after the doors opened at a clinic inside the North St. Louis County NAACP office, the line that once hugged the edges of the parking lot was gone. Patients got in and out in about 20 minutes.
"You know, a lot is going on. We see this virus is multiplying, changing," patient Sean Webb said of his decision to get tested.
People lined up for hours to get tests around the St. Louis region Monday, and organizers say they hope these smaller, community-specific pop-ups can ease the wait times.
"We are providing a much-needed service here in this community," John Bowman, President of St. Louis County NAACP, said. "As you know, lines are long with Covid testing. That's good because people are taking it upon themselves to make sure that they are healthy and protecting their families."
The number of COVID-19 patients in St. Louis task force hospitals surpassed the 1,000 mark for the first time Tuesday. It’s the latest record-breaking number as the omicron variant continues to surge through the St. Louis area following the holidays.
The St. Louis Metropolitan Pandemic Task Force said there are 1,023 COVID patients in task force hospitals, which topped Monday’s daily hospitalization record of 964 patients.
Area leaders, like St. Louis County Executive Dr. Sam Page, have said testing is a responsible way to ensure you are safe and not further spreading the virus.
"Our St. Louis site did come about because of the arts," Nomi Health Operations Director Carolina Herrin said of their clinic in St. Louis Grand Center, a neighborhood that houses many of the city's largest live performance venues.
"We wanted to make sure that the arts were able to have their theaters open and continue with their events so that's kind of how we got there," she said.
Opened in partnership with the Kranzberg Arts Foundation, Herrin says they quickly saw demand for testing rises from members of the general public, as they now perform about 1,200 tests a day.
"Our numbers have just you know with the surge just kind of gone through the roof," she said.
As patients wait for results during the county's largest case spike yet, Webb knows at least he is already moving in the right direction.
"It's important to get tested, stay safe, keep your family and your friends safe," Webb said. "You know, we all wanna return back to normal."