Patients needing hospital care continue to be the highest priority for COVID-19 tests at UNC Health's Respiratory Diagnostic Center in Chapel Hill.
Dr. Amir Barzin says people with mild symptoms of COVID-19 and who are doing relatively well risk spreading the coronavirus if they leave their homes to get tested. Barzin and his colleagues are checking constantly for the latest state guidelines to decide who to test at their drive-thru site.
"There has never been a time where I wake up every single morning to see what the state has recommended because these guidelines are shifting and they're so fluid and we've got such a nimble kind of environment that we're working in," he said.
Barzin says his testing center has safety measures in place, including asking patients to stay in their cars as much as possible and ensuring staff are wearing proper personal protective equipment.
Barzin says he personally screens about 70 to 150 people a day for COVID-19. As of Thursday morning, the state health department says over 47,000 tests have been conducted across North Carolina.