The number of Nashville residents seeking COVID-19 testing has dropped by nearly half in the last month. And statewide, the testing numbers have plateaued. Health officials say there are still plenty of tests to be had, just fewer people wanting them.
Nashville did have to close one of its drive-thru sites for a day because of a recent storm. But the pattern has been a pretty clear drop since the beginning of July, according to numbers kept by Meharry Medical College.
- Week ending July 11: 10,097
- Week ending July 18: 9,305
- Week ending July 25: 7,117
- Week ending August 1: 5,763
Statewide, there’s no real-time tracking for how many people show up each day for a test. But state epidemiologist John Dunn says there are no signs that people are being turned away.
“We think we’re in good shape with testing assets,” he said Tuesday. “We’ve been committed throughout the pandemic to making testing widely available. We think it’s still a very important part of the response.”
Public health officials generally say the more testing, the better. And it would indicate trouble if the share of people turning out positive was climbing. But it’s not.
Statewide positivity rates have leveled off, and in Nashville the rate has dropped from roughly one-in-five in mid-July to nearly one-in-10 now.
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