CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Mike Estramonte stands in the rain and calls out commands as he makes sure his staff keeps a stream of vehicles organized.

The CEO of Starmount Health, a management services company, is holding its first outdoor, drive-thru vaccine event at the StarMed Healthcare location in West Charlotte.

“We serve about 600 vaccines at this location,” Estramonte says. 

 
The lines of cars are actually a coordinated system. One line is for the COVID-19 vaccine, and the other is for tests.

“We're giving more vaccines than tests right now,” Estramonte says.
 
Estramonte says they went from giving around 5,000 tests daily to just around 1,000.

Statewide, from March 3 to March 31, testing dropped 33%, according to NCDHHS.
 
“We have not gotten herd immunity yet,” Estramonte says. “Even if you are young and healthy, you need to be mindful around the people you are around ... you want to make sure if you are having symptoms, that you get tested, and you are not spreading.”

NC DHHS reports the time to get a test result has dropped, as fewer people get tested.

Less demand has meant Estramonte has shifted many of his employees from handling testing to vaccines.

Estramonte expects the West Charlotte site will become a permanent testing and vaccine location for the next few years.

“We don't anticipate it will always be this busy but we will always have a presence,” Estramonte says.