Local COVID-19 testing clinics seeing more people, less vaccinations

At the Regional Center For Border Health, employees have noticed an uptick in those being tested for COVID, but many aren't getting vaccinated, Luis Lopez reports

SOMERTON, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) - With the introduction of vaccines, many would think that the amount of people needing a COVID-19 test would go down.

Instead, it’s going up for clinics like the Regional Center for Border Health (RCBH) in Somerton.

Over at the RCBH, there has been an increase in local residents getting tested.

RCBH administration has set up multiple clinics throughout Yuma County, and all have been seeing increasing amounts of people coming in.

One line at a drive-up clinic in San Luis stretched out for over a mile, according to RCBH officials.

The center says it has noticed an increase since the Fourth of July weekend.

Amanda Aguirre, the president and CEO of RCBH, says that people coming to get tested isn’t their main concern, it’s that people who get tested, aren’t getting vaccinated.

“We’ve seen a big increase in only testing, and not getting actually the vaccine which worries me a lot. So, we’re going to do a bigger job to convince people that they need to be vaccinated,” Aguirre said.

In response to the increase, the center has sent more teams out to help speed up testing.

RCBH also says that the positivity rate among those getting tested has gone from 4% all the way up to 19%.

As of right now the need for a potential booster shot may increase the amount of people needing to come to the clinics even more in the future.