The Georgia Department of Public Health announced in a press release that two COVID-19 mega-testing sites have opened in metro Atlanta, including one in Cobb County’s Jim Miller Park.

The type of test being done at the new test site is the PCR test, which is more accurate than the antigen test, but the results take longer to process. For an explanation of the difference between PCR and antigen tests follow this link to an explanatory article by a molecular biologist.

For complete details about the new testing sites read the press release reprinted below:

Atlanta – The Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH) in partnership with DeKalb County Board of Health, Cobb & Douglas Health Department and Viral Solutions announce the opening of two COVID-19 mega-testing sites.

The Cobb County site is located at Jim Miller Park (Gate 1), 1295 Al Bishop Drive, Marietta, GA 30008. The DeKalb County site is located at 2994 Turner Hill Road, Stonecrest, GA, 30038.

Hours of operation for both sites are Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. – 6 p.m., Saturday 8 a.m. – 3 p.m. The sites close from 12:30 p.m. – 1 p.m. every day for a lunch break.

You must have an appointment to be tested. To register online and to make an appointment, please log on to https://patientportal.advancedmd.com/146518/onlinescheduling/existing. Specimen collection is done by medical staff using a nasal swab and individuals will be provided information on how to receive the results of their PCR test. COVID testing is free to all Georgians, however insurance will be billed if it is available. Additional information about the test sites and driving directions can be found at https://viralsolutionsga.com/.

DPH extends its gratitude to Cobb County and the City of Stonecrest for working with our health districts and Viral Solutions to open these COVID-19 mega-testing locations; and to the Georgia Department of Natural Resources for providing security and traffic control. DPH is in ongoing discussions to identify and stand up additional sites to give Georgians more options when seeking COVID-19 testing. DPH will send updates as new sites are established.

Vaccination and boosters are the best protection against COVID-19. To find a vaccination location visit dph.ga.gov/covid-vaccine.

For updates on COVID-19, follow @GaDPH and @GovKemp on Twitter and @GaDPH and @GovKemp on Facebook.

For data on COVID in Cobb County and statewide

Cobb & Douglas Public Health runs the case rate on their home page, although it is not updated frequently.

Visit the Cobb & Douglas Public Health home page by following this link

A more frequently updated summary of the statistics on COVID for Cobb County is the CDC’s County View page for Cobb County. The numbers come from the Georgia Department of Public Health but are displayed in a much easier-to-read way than the sprawling GDPH website. From this page you can get the one-week figures on the number of new cases, case rate per 100,000 of population, hospitalizations, deaths, and the percentage change from the previous 7-day period. It also includes data on testing and vaccination rates.

Visit the CDC County View page for Cobb County by following this link

The Georgia Department of Public Health publishes a daily status report on the pandemic every afternoon at around 3 p.m. It’s a comprehensive report with extensive data and charts arranged statewide and by county, that also includes age breakdowns, racial demographics, and data on vaccination and testing.

It isn’t the easiest system to navigate, but it’s worth spending time learning how to use if you’re interested in getting the latest statewide and local data on the state of COVID-19.

Visit the Georgia Department of Public Health Daily Status Report by following this link

To get an overview of how much the pandemic is stressing the hospital systems in terms of ER visits, hospital bed capacity, and ventilator use, there is a Hospital Bed and Ventilator Use report with interactive maps. The map is organized by hospital region, and Cobb County is part of Region N.

Visit the Georgia Hospital Beds and Ventilator Report by following this link

To get data on what percentage of patients in Georgia hospitals were admitted for COVID-19 versus all other causes, there is a Georgia Medical Facility Patient Census. It also reports numbers by statewide and hospital region.

Visit the Georgia Medical Facility Patient Census by following this link