Cobb and Douglas Public Health opens more COVID-19 test sites

East Cobb rapid COVID-19 testing — *Testing sites, including one at East Cobb UMC, have been overwhelmed since December.*

Cobb and Douglas Public Health has opened two more places to get a COVID-19 test in Cobb County.

Jim Miller Park (1295 Al Bishop Drive, Marietta) is conducting testing from 8-6 Monday-Friday and 8-3 Saturday. Enter at Gate 1.

You must schedule an appointment in advance and can do so by clicking here.

The hours for the new spot at Kennesaw State University (3305 Busbee Drive, Kennesaw, in the old Brandsmart space) are 8-4 Monday-Friday and noon-4 Saturday and Sunday.

Registration is encouraged but not required and can be done by clicking here.

The tests are PCR only, and there no walk-up costs, but your insurance will be billed.

Those new locations have been added as COVID-19 case counts surge to their highest levels since the pandemic began due largely to the Omicron variant and as school resumes after the holidays.

Cobb and Douglas Public Health said the 14-day average of cases in Cobb is at 2,468 per 100,000, far above the 100/100K high transmission threshold.

According to the CDC, the Cobb test positivity rate over the last 7 days, more than 10,000 cases have been reported, and the test positivity rate has been more than 37 percent (5 percent or higher are considered high).

Later on Wednesday, Cobb and Douglas Public Health Director Dr. Janet Memark sent out a message imploring citizens who haven’t done so to get vaccinated.

She said hospitals are becoming strained and while the Omicron variant typically comes with milder symptoms, “it is much more infectious, and these are still those people who will get seriously ill. It has been able to even evade some of our immune and vaccine protection against transmission of the virus. These mutations have given it the ability to infect more people much faster.

“With tens of thousands of people sick at the same time, even a small percentage of those who get sick enough to go to the hospital can still be a large number and overwhelm the health system that we have in place.”

Private and public testing sites have been inundated with people wanting to get tested, and the public health agency said that long wait times at the sites are to be expected.

Test results are typically available 24-72 hours after the test.

The agency also has been conducting PCR testing at the Wellstar East Cobb Health Park (3747 Roswell Road) in a drive-through format. Hours are 9-4 Monday-Friday and 10-2 Saturday-Sunday.

You’re encouraged to sign up in advance by clicking here, and your insurance will be billed.

Private testing locations are listed here; and Cobb and Douglas Public Health has more COVID-19 testing, vaccination and other related information here.

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