Starting Monday, January 31st, the drive-through COVID-19 testing site operated by Mako Medical in partnership with the Northeast Health District and the Athens-Clarke County Unified Government will return to its previous location, operating out of the old fire station located at 3500 Atlanta Highway, with the entrance on Mitchell Bridge Road.
Due to overwhelming demand in early January— spiking from an average of around 50 tests per day to over 600 tests per day almost overnight— the testing site had temporarily relocated to Holland Park to accommodate the heavy traffic flow. The demand for testing has since stabilized at approximately 250 tests per day.
“We were grateful to Athens-Clarke County for quickly identifying an alternative location to handle the sudden increase in the number of people seeking testing,” said Joshua Bowman, Emergency Preparedness Coordinator for the Northeast Health District. “The County has been very supportive of local testing and vaccination efforts, and we’re thankful that the Mako site will be able to resume operations at the fire station.”
Testing at the Mitchell Bridge location will continue to be available during the following hours:
- Monday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
- Tuesday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.
- Saturday from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
There is no out-of-pocket cost for COVID-19 testing at this site. Insurance information is requested if available, but insurance is not required and there is no cost to the person being tested, regardless of insurance status.
Pre-registration is highly encouraged prior to arriving at the testing site to reduce wait times. Anyone wanting to be tested can pre-register by visiting northeasthealthdistrict.com/covidtesting.
The number of COVID-19 cases continues to peak at the local, state, and national levels. In Clarke County, more than 2,600 cases have been reported in the past two weeks. The positivity rate for PCR tests is over 30% for the county.
DPH recommends that everyone 5 years and older be fully vaccinated against COVID-19, and that everyone ages 18 and older get a booster shot at least two months after their initial J&J/Janssen vaccine or five months after completing their primary Pfizer or Moderna series. Children 12 to 17 years of age should also get a Pfizer booster five months after completing the initial Pfizer series.
Vaccines slow the spread of COVID-19, reduce the likelihood of new variants, and are highly effective at preventing severe illness, hospitalization, and death. With high levels of community transmission due to the Omicron variant, wearing a mask in indoor public settings is also recommended, even for individuals who are fully vaccinated.
To find DPH partner testing locations or commercial testing sites in Georgia, click here.
To order free at-home COVID-19 tests, click here.
For local COVID-19 information including vaccine providers, click here.
