Due to the rise in Covid-19 cases in Ocean County, the health department will be going back to offering tests five-days a week at the Ocean County College drive-thru testing site for the first time in months.

The OCHD is also increasing the amount of tests being offered per day from 200 to about 300 which will begin on Monday November 30, following the Thanksgiving holiday, and going from 9:00 am until 2:00 pm each day.

“Since the opening of the test site in March, we have closely monitored the needs and consistently adjusted the hours of testing at the college to accommodate our residents," Ocean County Freeholder Gerry Little, who is liaison to the Ocean County Health Department, said in a statement.

The testing site provides tests for both symptomatic and asymptomatic County residents and appointments are required.

To schedule an appointment for a test Ocean County you can visit the Ocean County Health Department website at www.ochd.org and If you have any questions, call the Health Department at 732-341-9700, extension 7411.

Proof of residency will be required.

All emergency responders can also access testing at the site.

“As people see the number of positive cases increase, more want to be tested,” Ocean County Public Health Coordinator Dan Regenye said in a statement. “People also want to be tested for the holidays. Testing will show if you have the virus even if you are asymptomatic. This can help reduce the spread of the virus so long as people quarantine. We have also consistently encouraged our residents to get tested. When you add all this up the demand for tests has increased. We believe the longer hours will address this demand. We can also adjust the hours again if necessary.”

To date, 12,039 coronavirus tests have been performed at the college testing site.

“This site has been the result of a successful partnership with the college, our area hospitals, Sheriff Michael Mastronardy and the Ocean County Office of Emergency Management, the Ocean County Health Department and a host of other collaborators who have come together to make this work for our citizens,” Ocean County Freeholder Director Joe Vicari said in a statement. “It’s important to be flexible at the site so we can offer more tests when needed.”

There are other locations and testing sites for asymptomatic people that have opened throughout the state with some located in Ocean County.

“At the Ocean County College testing site, residents remain in their cars and medical personnel perform a nasal swab,” Freeholder Little said. “We have worked to make this convenient and more importantly safe for the public, the health care providers on site and staff. Since opening we have met all the demand for tests. We have turned no one away.”

Once the test has been performed, it usually takes about three to five days for results to be returned.

“All the results will be available on the BioReference Laboratories Patient Portal: Bioreference.com/patients/ and through the Ocean County Health Department residents will be notified whether they test positive or negative,” Regenye said.

Ocean County officials are urging everyone to take the steps necessary to curtail the virus including wearing a mask, social distancing, frequent handwashing and staying home when sick.

Vin
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You can follow Vin Ebenau on Twitter and Instagram and email news tips to vin.ebenau@townsquaremedia.com.

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