COURT HOUSE – Covid testing has been in short supply in Cape May County, forcing people with cold-like symptoms but no access to testing into tough moral decisions about whether to quarantine or continue about their lives in the absence of a diagnosis for their symptoms.
For weeks, local pharmacies have largely been out of stock of at-home test kits and the testing locations listed by the county at one point all had days-long waits.
When regular shipments of tests would come in on trucks, they would sell out quickly, and there were also tests arriving via shipments by UPS and other delivery services arriving periodically to replenish supplies, according to an employee of one local CVS.
“If someone in the house gets sick, and we need to find out what we’re dealing with, it’s six days out to get a test, so by the time you get a result, your quarantine is over,” said Brenna Pearce, of Seaville, in a phone interview. Pearce was commenting on the Cape May County Health Department’s Facebook page, asking for more testing resources when she was contacted by a Herald reporter.
Pearce said she talks with her friends, who tell her to “go to your local testing site.” However, she thinks the county is too concentrated on administering vaccines and not focused enough on providing those types of clinics that are popping up elsewhere to supplement existing testing locations.
“In Essex County, where my parents live, they have sites you just walk in and go get a test,” said Pearce. “We don’t have that in Cape May County.”
The county lists a few testing sites on its website, all of which it says are by appointment only. They include Cape Regional Urgent Cares, Upper Township CVS, AtlantiCare Health System, and Wildwood Rite Aid.
None of them had appointments for at least several days the week after Christmas and the weeks after New Year’s Day when checked at various times.
An update from the county showed that things are getting better lately, with same-day appointments available, as of Jan. 13.
“In comparison to the last two weeks, availability of Covid testing has greatly improved at all locations,” Kevin Thomas, the county’s public health coordinator, wrote in an email to the Herald. “Wait times at urgent care have seemed to have also improved for walk-ins.”
That day, AtlantiCare was only taking patients with a doctor’s prescription, Cape Regional Urgent Care only had a same-day appointment at one of its three locations, Walgreens Rio Grande had an appointment the next day and two CVS pharmacies had same-day appointments.
Still, that was a marked improvement from a week prior, when, at times, one would have to drive well out of the county to get a test within 48 hours.
Thomas said the county is also working with the state Health Department and a private testing company, Vault, to increase testing, but acknowledged that the increase in available appointments was more due to a lack of demand, rather than an increase in testing supply.
“I think it’s demand, because of less travel after the holidays,” wrote Thomas.
To contact Shay Roddy, email sroddy@cmcherald.com.
