BY SYDNEY HOOVER
Douglas County will have six mass testing events for asymptomatic individuals this weekend and next week ahead of Thanksgiving.
The tests are free to Douglas County residents who schedule appointments ahead of time at bit.ly/LDCPHcovidtest. This includes two events in Eudora — 1 to 5 p.m. Nov. 22 and 25 at the Eudora Community Center. Other testing events include:
8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday at the Douglas County 4-H Fairgrounds, 2120 Harper St.
9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sunday at Lecompton Elementary School, 626 Whitfield St.
1 to 5 p.m. Monday at the Baldwin City Library, 800 7th St.
3 to 7 p.m. Tuesday at the Douglas County 4-H Fairgrounds, 2120 Harper St.
“These mass testing events in our community will help us to identify people who might be asymptomatic carriers of COVID-19 and prevent them from spreading it to others, especially those who might be especially vulnerable, such as individuals over 65 years of age or those with certain medical conditions,” said Linda Craig, public health director of clinic services.
The events will be drive-thru, except in inclement weather, in which the testing in Eudora will be moved inside the community center.
The tests are funded through CARES Act funding received by LMH Health. The health system was allotted 55,000 COVID tests to use in mass community testing, school baseline testing and first responder surveillance testing. More information can be found here.
Eudora Schools will also begin administering coronavirus surveillance tests through the LMH Health CARES funded testing. The district said in a Facebook post it will initially test 25% of students in the district, around 440 students total. The district will also receive additional tests to continue identifying cases and preventing spread.
“It is our hope and expectation that the number of cases identified will be low; however, this testing strategy will help us learn more so that we can respond appropriately,” the Facebook post said.
The test is a PCR saliva test, similar to the baseline testing conducted at the University of Kansas in August. The testing will begin after Thanksgiving break.
Families can opt out of testing if selected, the post said. Students who choose to participate must have a parent’s consent via the district’s online consent form.
More information on the PCR saliva test can be found here, and additional questions can be directed to district nurse Stephanie Sudduth at stepheniesudduth@eudoraschools.org.
Reach reporter Sydney Hoover at eudoratimes@gmail.com.
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