Ocean County will increase COVID-19 testing hours, beginning next week, at the Ocean County College facility to meet higher demand. 

Testing will resume today at the Ocean County College drive-thru location and beginning next week, they will operate two extra hours per day, and the week after Thanksgiving, they will go to a five day a week test from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. each day. 

The higher number of positive cases is not leading to a significant increase in hospitalizations, severe illnesses and deaths, according to Dan Regenye, Ocean County's Public Health Coordinator.  Ocean County became the state's focus with new cases back in early October, but now falls midway among counties reporting COVID-19 positive tests. 

“We are not seeing tremendous school exposure with transmission, same thing with restaurants and same thing with sports of that nature,” says Regenye. “All those preventive measures are being taken and put into place to quarantine those individuals to stop the spread, and I think that's been very successful.”

Due to the demand, they are encouraging healthy people without exposure and without symptoms to hold off on getting a test unless it's necessary, although no one will be turned away. They're also strongly suggesting getting a flu shot to lower the possibility of contracting COVID-19 and the flu at the same time. 

If you do get a test, Regenye says to take yourself out of play until results come in. Results on average take about three days at the site.