Enumclaw’s COVID-19 testing site is going through a few changes.

First, the hours the testing site is open have shifted — you can now get a free coronavirus test on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, or Fridays from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., starting Monday, April 26.

“We changed days of the week because Saturday was our slowest day,” said Public Health — Seattle & King County Communications Specialist Christina Bradic. “We added a day and changed our hours to close one hour later at 7:00 p.m., so we might further reach people in the community who work during the day and are unable to make it in earlier.”

Second, the testing site is expected to move locations by the end of May. It’s currently situated at 1512 Wells Street, on Mutual of Enumclaw property.

”Mutual of Enumclaw is needing their parking lot back in June,” said Enumclaw Mayor Jan Molinaro. “They anticipate having a gradual return of employees.”

Molinaro added more information about where the testing site will move to will be forthcoming in the next couple of weeks.

Since the testing site opened on Dec. 10. 2020, nearly 10,000 tests have been performed.

According to Bradic and Molinaro, there are currently no plans in the works to turn the testing site into a vaccination site.

ENUMCLAW COVID CASE SUMMARY

According to King County data, Enumclaw has exceeded 800 coronavirus cases since the pandemic began, and although case numbers have inarguably fallen since the December 2020 peak, cases numbers continue to fluctuate. For example, Feb. 28 saw a 7-day average high of 6.9 cases, followed by a March 17 7-day average low of 2.1 cases, which was then quickly reversed by a March 30 7-day average high of 5 cases.

Hospitalizations have also been on the rise; the Courier-Herald reported in late February that the city has experienced 50 total hospitalizations, but that number has now risen to 60.

Deaths, though, have remained steady. Only one additional death has been reported in March, bringing Enumclaw’s total to 30 deaths.

Enumclaw’s positive case rate (5.2 percent of all tests), hospitalization rate (7.6 percent of all positive cases), and death rate (3.6 percent of all positive cases) continue to be higher than King County as a whole.