As the death toll from the coronavirus hit 150 on Sunday, Gov. Gina M. Raimondo announced the opening of a new “walk-through” testing site at an elementary school in Providence to provide greater access for inner-city residents who may not have cars.
The new testing site in the parking lot of the Bailey Elementary School, 65 Gordon Ave., Providence, will be open to all residents by appointment, Raimondo said. To schedule an appointment to be tested, she said, residents should call their provider, urgent care center or the state Health Department.
The elementary school, located in South Providence, was selected because it’s “centrally located in the middle of Providence,” Raimondo said, and is accessible to people who don’t have cars.
Raimondo announced the new test site after addressing concerns raised about state data indicating a disproportionately high share of Latinos who have tested positive for the coronavirus. The state’s health director, Dr. Nicole Alexander-Scott, has said that a sample survey of testing data shows that as many as 45% of those who tested positive for COVID-19 in the state are Latino. By contrast, Latinos comprise about 16% of Rhode Island’s population. On Sunday, Raimondo noted that “the trend is not unique to Rhode Island,” but said “that doesn’t mean it’s acceptable…We need to do more and we need to do better. And we’re committed to doing that.”
As of Sunday, 13 more people had died from illnesses related to the coronavirus. Dr. James McDonald, the state’s medical director, said two were in their 60s, four were in their 70s, 4 were in their 80s and 3 were in their 90s. Of the 13 who died, 11 were residents of nursing homes, Joseph Wendelken, a Health Department spokesman said in an email.
-Lynn Arditi
