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Local health officials encourage COVID-19 testing before holiday gatherings

Christmas is less than a week away now and health officials are encouraging people to take a COVID-19 test leading up to holiday gatherings.

News 12 Staff

Dec 20, 2021, 11:37 AM

Updated 1,126 days ago

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Christmas is less than a week away now and health officials are encouraging people to take a COVID-19 test leading up to holiday gatherings.
Officials say the best time to get tested is 72-hours prior to a gathering. 
Dr. Daniel Gottschall says with the state's positivity rate climbing, the demand for testing has gone up.
Officials want to remind the public that a PCR test could take a little longer to get results back since many testing sites are overloaded.
Gottschall says stay home as much as possible while waiting for the results to reduce the risk of exposure.
Doctors are also encouraging those who are unvaccinated to get vaccinated and those who've been vaccinated to get a booster shot.
Officials say 80% of the COVID-19 patients at St. Vincent's Medical Center are currently unvaccinated.