December 29, 2021
SPORTS: Highland boys basketball oozes college talent. PAGES 14, 15, 19
Our 204th year | Vol. 204, No. 52 | www.Fauquier.com | $1.50
Demand for COVID-19 testing surges locally By Robin Earl
Fauquier Times Staff Writer
FAUQUIER TIMES STAFF PHOTOS/ROBIN EARL
Samantha Hardy was performing drivethru COVID tests Monday morning.
There were about 80 cars lined up for COVID-19 testing at Piedmont Urgent Care in Warrenton on Monday at lunchtime. The line stretched through the parking lot and down Walker Drive for blocks. Testing was being accomplished on a first-come, first-served basis, and the wait was estimated at about three hours. Nearby at GoWell Urgent Care, which requires patients to have an appointment be-
fore getting in line, there were about 15 cars around the perimeter of the parking lot and snaked around the back of the building. George Webb, CEO of GoWell, expressed his appreciation for the patience of his business neighbors as the urgent care center accommodates what he characterized as an unprecedented number of patients. “And our patients have been so patient with the long waits for testing. People have been very kind,” he said. See TESTING, page 2
COVID-19 testing offered at GoWell Urgent Care
Rapid testing: Results are available in less than an hour. GoWell Urgent Care CEO George Webb said, “There is a chance of a false negative, but if you get a positive rapid test, you can be sure you’ve got it.” PCR testing: Webb describes the PCR test as highly accurate. He said that up until recently, the number of people requesting rapid tests was about the same as the number requesting PCR tests, but currently the ratio is closer to 75% rapid tests and 25% PCR tests. NAAT: A Nucleic Acid Amplification Test, or NAAT, is a type of viral diagnostic test for SARSCoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. NAATs detect genetic material (nucleic acids). Webb said that the NAAT offers the speed of the rapid test – processed in-house in about 20 minutes -- with the accuracy of a PCR test. He has made the test available to first responders and companies who employ “essential workers.” Some people who are preparing to travel ask for the test too. It is not processed through insurance and costs $250 out of pocket.
Volunteer advocates provide link between foster children and courts By Liam Bowman
Piedmont Journalism Foundation
PHOTO BY CARSON MCRAE/MCRAE VISUAL MEDIA
The best photos we didn’t print
Grayson Lewis competes in the pizza-eating contest at this summer’s county fair. See inside for some of the most interesting photos of 2021 that haven’t yet made it into print. See pages 6 to 7, and for sports, page 14.
In a child welfare system that advocates say is chronically burdened with high caseloads and lengthy legal proceedings, juvenile courts are increasingly turning to specially trained volunteers who can serve as children’s legal advocates. Typically assigned to children who enter foster care as a result of familial abuse or neglect, representatives of Court Appointed Special Advocates — a nation-wide nonprofit known as CASA — work to learn about each child’s situation and needs, and to represent their best interests in court. See CASA, page 3
COURTESY PHOTO
Lori Battistoni is executive director of the Manassas-based CASA, Children’s Intervention Services.
Stories of holiday giving. See pages 8 and 13. 9.44x2
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