CLEVELAND — COVID-19 tests are a hot commodity right now, according to Stephen Wohl and Hallie Rich.
“Actually in the last two weeks alone, we've given out more tests than we have in the past four months alone," said Wohl with the Cleveland Public Library.
“Last week we ordered 2,000 kits and we handed all of those out,” said Rich with the Cuyahoga County Public Library. “We're ordering as many as we can because they’re flying off the shelves."
Wohl and Rich are referencing the free rapid COVID-19 tests that you can find at libraries across Northeast Ohio and the state’s Department of Health is supplying them.
“People are coming because the word is spreading,” said Wohl. “It’s great to see that we’re getting these out to the community where they need to be."
“We went from a pretty steady pace to now seeing branches that by the end of the day are out of kits and struggling to fulfill that demand," said Rich.
The demand isn’t just growing for take-home tests, in-person testing is also sky-high, according to Christopher Orr with Safety Controls Technology. Orr said several factors are causing the increase from the delta variant’s spread to kids heading back to school
“It’s also due to the increase in venue requested testing,” said Orr. “We’re seeing people going to a Blossom concert or even going out to eat, and even traveling."
Vaccinated or not, health leaders say masking up and testing is a top commodity right now.
Based on the demand for testing, it’s apparent that people are heeding that advice either by choice or in some cases by requirement.
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