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Georgia ramps up COVID-19 testing but labs face backups with additional samples

This undated electron microscope image made available by the U.S. National Institutes of Health in February 2020 shows the Novel Coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, orange, emerging from the surface of cells, green, cultured in the lab. Also known as 2019-nCoV, the virus causes COVID-19. The sample was isolated from a patient in the U.S. (NIAID-RML via AP)
This undated electron microscope image made available by the U.S. National Institutes of Health in February 2020 shows the Novel Coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, orange, emerging from the surface of cells, green, cultured in the lab. Also known as 2019-nCoV, the virus causes COVID-19. The sample was isolated from a patient in the U.S. (NIAID-RML via AP) This undated electron microscope image made available by the U.S. National Institutes of Health in February 2020 shows the Novel Coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, orange, emerging from the surface of cells, green, cultured in the lab. Also known as 2019-nCoV, the virus causes COVID-19. The sample was isolated from a patient in the U.S. (NIAID-RML via AP)

By Patrick Filbin 3 min read

The Georgia Department of Public Health hosted its first free drive-thru COVID-19 testing in Dade County Thursday for people both with and without symptoms. On Friday, health officials will move to Catoosa County to do the same.

As a state, Georgia has been ramping up testing over the past two weeks after falling behind other states in the area.

Since April 20, Georgia has more than doubled the number of coronavirus tests it’s completed, from 84,328 to more than 217,000 as of noon on May 7.

As tests started to increase across the state, the percentage of positive cases there went down. It’s a metric that health officials used as one indicator to justify reopening Georgia for business two weeks ago.

On April 29, Georgia reported about 24,600 positive cases out of 140,000 total tests, or approximately 17.6% positive. That was the the most of all neighboring states to Tennessee.