COVID testing site to close

City officials announced Wednesday that one free COVID testing center is closing next week despite a recent "moderate rise in infections."

Why it matters: The move reflects the pandemic's changing landscape, as rapid home tests have become widely available while hospitalizations remain low.

• Although there's a slight uptick in active cases, they are far below case rates logged earlier in the year.
• Metro health director Gill Wright said in a statement that department experts "do not anticipate a surge" driven by the BA.2 subvariant of the Omicron variant.

The details: The last day for testing and vaccinations at the 350 28th Avenue North site is April 29.

Yes, but: The testing site at the former Kmart on Murfreesboro Pike will remain open.

• Pop-up testing and vaccinations organized by the health department will continue.

By the numbers: The 28th Avenue North location provided more than 39,700 tests and 11,280 vaccinations since launching last September.

• But recently, the two free testing sites have administered less than 100 tests combined per day.