LAKEWOOD, Wash. — Pierce County permanently closed its Lakewood COVID-19 testing center citing “safety concerns in the area” due to the higher demand than anticipated.
“We decided that we needed to close this site for the safety of the people that were coming here the safety of staff and the safety of the businesses around us that are also trying to conduct business,” said Mike Halliday, a spokesperson for Pierce County Emergency Management.
The Lakewood center was testing around 600 people a day over the holidays that number has jumped to over 1,000 a day in the new year.
“We’ve tried several different methods to improve this site so that we can get more people through it but the reality of it is that the volume is just too high,” Halliday added.
There has been a spike in demand for COVID-19 testing that’s likely due to the omicron variant, which is a more transmissible variant than its predecessors. Combined with several days of winter weather, many are now scrambling to find a site that can test them.
“We’re just trying to make sure I’m negative so that we can go to Seattle,” said Camryn Pedzinski a visitor from Florida.
“It’s just kind of a pain in the butt to get an at-home test,” said Gregor Sach of Steilacoom. “The at-home test is harder to do just because of the availability,” he said.
Wednesday Washington Governor Inslee addressed the testing shortage announcing that 5.5 million at-home tests are on the way. Free take-home tests will be distributed through schools and health departments.
“Our administration has been working tirelessly to acquire additional rapid tests so that individuals will have better access for a variety of purposes,” Inslee said.
As for the drive through testing. The Lakewood site is closed for good. People are now asked to go to a new facility opening Thursday at the Washington state fairgrounds.
The county is continuing to look for new sites that can accomodate the increased demand.
“Pierce County is also looking for alternative sites to open up so we can have more high put volume sites coming through,” Halliday said.