DECATUR, GA – The DeKalb County Board will deploy an additional community testing team in Stonecrest, according to a press release from the Board. They hope this will help to address health disparities and high numbers of COVID-19 cases in identified DeKalb County zip codes.

On June 10, the additional team will be stationed at the following location from 10:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m., Monday through Friday:

– Salem Bible Church, 5460 Hillandale Dr., Stonecrest, Ga. 30058

Three other teams, are stationed at the following locations from 10:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m., Monday through Friday:

– Beulah Missionary Baptist Church, 2340 Clifton Springs Rd., Decatur, Ga. 30034

– Greater Piney Grove Baptist Church, 1879 Glenwood Ave. SE, Atlanta, Ga. 30316

– Rehoboth Baptist Church, 2997 Lawrenceville Hwy., Tucker, Ga. 30084

COVID-19 testing also continues at the Board of Health’s Kingswood Church location at 4896 N. Peachtree Rd. in Dunwoody. Hours of operation are Monday through Friday, from 8:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m., and Saturday from 8:30 a.m. until noon.

COVID-19 testing is free and open to all individuals who wish to be tested. However, registration is required. To register online for any DeKalb County location, visit dekalbhealth.net, or call the DeKalb County Board of Health’s COVID-19 Call Center at (404) 294-3700, Option 1. New call center hours of operation are Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. and 9:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. on Saturday.

While everyone is encouraged to get testing, readers have questions about the reliability of the testing and how often they should be tested.

DeKalb County District Health Director Elizabeth Ford provided answers to four of the most frequently asked questions:

Q: Do you know the accuracy rate of this particular test?

A: According to, Dr. Alawode Oladele, interim clinical services director of the DeKalb County Board of Health, because the test detect molecules that are specific to SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that results in COVID 19 Disease), the specificity of nucleic acid tests for COVID-19 is very high, meaning that a positive result can generally be trusted. However, the sensitivity of the test is affected by a number of variables. The sensitivity (likelihood of a false-negative) result depends on both the timing of sample collection, the way the sample is collected and the type of specimen collected. In general, the test is quite sensitive when all conditions are optimal.

Q: What is testing frequency that the Board of Health is recommending for people who do not have symptoms?  How often should people be getting tested?

A: There is no current recommendation for testing frequency, as individuals may test positive for quite some time after no longer being infectious. Also, a negative test is just a point in time; one can be negative on one day, become exposed later that day, and test positive several days later

Q: Do you test children? 

A: Yes

Q: How can people obtain an antibody test?

The DeKalb County Board of Health is not providing antibody tests.  They can obtained through your private physician’s office.

For more resources and information about COVID-19, visit the DeKalb County Board of Health’s COVID-19 website at dekalbhealth.net/covid-19. For all of Decaturish’s coverage on COVID-19, visit decaturishscrubs.com.

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