Until recently Walton County’s coronavirus testing has lagged far behind neighboring counties and the state. When the virus was first discovered taking hold in cities across the country, residents were overwhelming officials with requests for tests that just weren’t available. Lots of people were sick and wondered if they might have gotten the virus. Others were just wondering if they had been exposed.

“We had to turn a lot of people down,” said Holly Holt, administrator of the Walton County Health Department.