Governor Gina Raimondo is hoping greater testing for the virus will help the state stay ahead of hotspots by better predicting where illnesses are occurring. Her announcement comes as the state prepares for phase one of reopening this weekend.“So that I never again, have to say, the whole state is shut down,” Governor Raimondo said Wednesday.
As of Wednesday, there were 10,205 cases of COVID-19, and 15 new related fatalities, bringing the state’s total to 370.
Rhode Island continues to have the highest rate of testing in the country, Raimondo said. Already 80,000 Rhode Islanders have been tested, about 7 percent of the state’s total population. For reference, she said the national average for states is between 2 and 3 percent.
But she says the state will need a much greater testing capacity, if it hopes to reach its goal by by autumn.
Rhode Island plans to make rapid testing available to all patients with symptoms. The state hopes to get residents tested and have results within 48 hours of contacting healthcare providers.
The state is also creating an outbreak response team. The group of frontline workers will be deployed to places with multiple reports of COVID. The team will be responsible for testing and contact tracing larger groups in places like nursing homes and manufacturing plants.
“If you don’t get on the outbreaks, either before they happen or right away, then that’s when you get into trouble,” Raimondo said.
Additionally, the state will begin regular, continuous testing for high-risk groups. That includes vulnerable populations, such as nursing home residents, and the people who work with them.
Early warning testing sites will be set up at places like schools, colleges and large private companies, where many people gather.
The state is also in the early stages of antibody blood testing, which tests whether someone has been previously exposed to COVID. The department of health is sending letters to 5,000 randomly selected residents to participate in a pilot of the testing program in Rhode Island.
If you receive a letter, Raimondo reminded people, the testing is not mandatory.
“But I’m asking you to do it, because it’s the right thing to do,” Raimondo said. “We want to know roughly what percent of our population has been exposed to the virus.”
Along with testing, the state is working to expand its contact tracing program to quickly reach people who may have been exposed to the illness. The contact tracing team began with a few people at the department of health, and has since grown to more than 100 people. The state has partnered with software company Salesforce to speed up the contact tracing process.
Eventually, the state plans to launch an mobile app that will include contact tracing functions, and allow residents to schedule testing.
