MAYFIELD, Pa. — COVID-19 testing sites are gearing up for busy days ahead as many folks are getting tested before their holiday gatherings.
The machines inside the lab in Mayfield will play a big part in helping people cross something off their holiday to-do lists—not last-minute shopping, cooking, or cleaning, but getting a COVID test.
"We have seen a huge spike in the last couple of days. We can handle hundreds of samples every day. I think it's because of the holidays coming up, and people are getting more exposed to omicron and new variants," said Dr. Umaar Raheel, the director of lab operations at Absolute Genomics, one of the few places in our area that offers rapid PCR tests.
You can find plenty of rapid tests and plenty of PCR tests, but you'll have to sacrifice either accuracy or speed. Rapid PCR gives you the best of both worlds.
At Absolute Genomics, you usually get your results within hours.
"If you go to Walgreens or CVS, it takes three, four days because they have to ship the sample, test it, and everything. We have optimized the workflow in a way that we can result it out on the same day."
A lot of people are banking on a negative COVID-19 test result to secure their seat at the Christmas dinner table.
But Dr. Raheel says if you don't have symptoms, the rapid antigen tests you get at the local pharmacy aren't going to do you much good.
You need a higher amount of virus in your body for those tests to detect COVID.
"The PCR is very accurate. It's very sensitive. There's less chance of false positive or false negative."
There are still appointments available at the facility in Mayfield, or you can walk in.
The address is:
1300 Old Plank Road
#400,
Mayfield, PA 18433.
It's open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday.
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