Hickory Sun

A state senator said North Carolina needs to conduct more COVID-19 testing to determine how the government can best move forward addressing the pandemic. 

Sen. Andy Wells (R-Catawba) made his comments on March 24 on his Facebook page. 

"A move to shut down the entire economy feels like a step off the cliff, and we need to know if it’s the right decision before we do it," Wells wrote. "It may be that a full economic shutdown is the right call. Or it may be that more targeted mitigation strategies can be as effective without precipitating a global depression."

The state senator said conducting more tests would provide data to see how wide-spread COVID-19 is in North Carolina. 

"A random sample of North Carolinians will help us know how prevalent the virus is and what are the true medical facility needs and virus fatality numbers," Wells wrote. "After that, additional random sample antibody tests must be given to estimate how many people have already had the virus."

The senator said the results from those tests "is the only data that can properly inform decisions moving forward," because residents are losing their jobs and financial futures. 

"No data set is more important than this one," he said. "It should be prioritized immediately, above all else."

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper ordered on March 17 that certain businesses close and blocked restaurants from providing dine-in service, while also making it easier for individuals who will lose their job to file for unemployment. On March 27, Cooper expanded the policy to reduce gatherings to 10 people or less and issued a statewide stay-at-home order. 

As of April 8, the state Department of Health and Human Services reported 3,426 COVID-19 cases in 90 counties and 53 deaths.