ATLANTA — Amid the surge of the delta variant in Georgia, COVID-19 testing is hard to come by these days.
It’s almost impossible to find sites that are still accepting same-day appointments and guaranteeing rapid results in just a few hours.
The lack of quick testing is proving especially difficult on people trying to travel this Labor Day weekend.
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“You can’t find a test anywhere online when you are looking,” traveler Cres Dixon said.
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But one nonprofit has been a godsend for travelers this Labor Day weekend.
Channel 2′s Elizabeth Rawlins was at the COVID Clinic near Atlanta’s airport, which is helping desperate travelers who need last-minute testing before boarding their flights. The independent lab has three facilities in metro Atlanta, including the one at the airport. Each offers six different types of tests, ranging from no cost to upwards of more than $300.
Tests include rapid antigen tests, rapid flu and COVID-19 combo antigen tests, rapid PCR tests, expedited PCR tests and a respiratory pathogen panel.
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Results are almost immediate at the lab onsite.
One family of four Rawlins talked to said they were paying more than $500 just for rapid test results, an expensive hassle. But they said it was still worth it to visit family.
Dixon said he was surprised at how easy it was.
“I was very surprised. I thought it was going to be a line backed up, but it’s very empty here,” Dixon said.
The other two COVID Clinic location are at Phipps Plaza in Buckhead and on Sugarloaf Mills Parkway in Lawrenceville.
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