Hundreds of South Carolinians follow Gov. McMaster’s advice to get “tested before turkey”

DHEC says some popular testing sites see as many as 100 people per hour

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WOLO) — Across the state, hundreds are lining up at COVID-19 testing sites to get tested before celebrating Thanksgiving.

This spike in people willing to be tested comes after Gov. Henry McMaster (R-SC) urged South Carolinians to take action and prevent spreading COVID-19 if possible.

Over the last two weeks, South Carolina’s Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) reports that as many as 100 South Carolinians are getting tested for COVID-19 per hour.

Officials with University of South Carolina say at their campus alone, more than 2,000 students and staff were tested on Monday.

Testing officials for one county-level health department in the Midlands told ABC Columbia part of this uptick is due to Gov. McMaster’s request at a press conference last Thursday to get tested before they go home.

“It doesn’t hurt, it is quick, it is easy to do, and I encourage everyone to do it, particularly before Thanksgiving, get tested before turkey,” Gov. McMaster said.

Even as hundreds get tested throughout the Midlands, Dr. Divya Ahuja, an Infectious Diseases Physician at Prisma Health, says getting tested can actually save more lives.

“We are going to uncover a lot of asymptomatic people, pre-symptomatic people, especially in the younger age group, and by stopping them from traveling, you can actually reduce transmission to others across state lines,” Dr. Ahuja said.

Dr. Ahuja said airports across South Carolina should screen travelers for COVID-19 before they walk through the terminal. According to WCIV in Charleston, MUSC is partnering up with Charleston International Airport to have a COVID-19 testing site on airport grounds.

Much like what the CDC is recommending, Dr. Ahuja said it is not the smartest idea to travel home due to the pandemic.

Even though he says getting tested is a good move, it does not mean you can let your guard down right before the holiday season. He says families should try to have as small a gathering as possible (preferably 3-4 people) and do as many things outdoors.

“Even if you are tested, you still have to be cautious because the test is number one, not perfect, as you know there are a lot of false negatives, and b, if you’re negative, it doesn’t mean you’re negative tomorrow. Currently in South Carolina, we have a 12% positivity rate. We’re in a bad phase at this time, and I think this is the time to be extra cautious,” Dr. Ahuja said.

DHEC has reported more than 1,000 cases new cases a day in South Carolina seven days in a row, and 11 times in the last 13 days. In the last two weeks, more than 362,721 testing samples have been processed by DHEC’s laboratories. Since the pandemic began, 2.5 million samples have gone through the labs.

As of Monday, DHEC has reported 194,042 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in South Carolina, with 3,987 deaths caused by the virus.

To find out where you can get tested for COVID-19, click here.