Shortages Stymie Promised COVID Testing for Grand Island Health Workers

A commitment from Governor Pete Rickett's to provide more coronavirus testing for health care workers in the Grand Island had to be scaled back at the last minute when the state delivered fewer than half the promised test kits.

The Department of Health and Human Services could only deliver enough tests for 150 people. Initially, 375 tests had been assured. The Central Nebraska Health Department was forced to cut five days of testing to only two.

"While we are very happy to have some testing, we all wish we had more," said Teresa Anderson, director of the Central District Health Department (CNHD).

The effort to identify workers in hospitals and nursing homes which might be carrying the virus came as the number of confirmed cases continued a steady climb in central Nebraska. Doctors in the area issued a public letter to Rickett's pleading for additional testing resources in light of the number of staff-borne cases identified in the area's nursing homes and assisted living facilities. Extra testing had also been ordered at the state's own Youth Rehabilitation and Treatment Center in nearby Kearney after employees and a young resident tested positive.

After a halting start, the first day of drive-through testing ended smoothly under the supervision of the Nebraska National Guard.

Tuesday afternoon the Nebraska National Guard set up temporary tents in a parking lot a few hundred yards from where racehorses at Fonner Park were warming up. Traffic control lanes were marked off with orange cones used by the Guard's decontamination unit.

Before the one o'clock start time, people with appointments for testing lined up in their vehicles to be funneled into designated lanes. They idled in their cars, pick-up trucks, and in one case, astride a motorcycle for an hour and a half past the announced start time. No reason for the delay was provided reporters observing at a distance. Eventually, the winding line of vehicles edged forward.

Guard members in white protective coveralls and orange boots, initially asked drivers if their name was on the list provided by the CNHD, covering Hall, Merrick, and Hamilton Counties.

At a community update on Tuesday, Anderson of CNHD said: "the testing is very specific to health care workers and emergency responders."

"If your name is not on the roster, you will not be allowed into the testing area," she said.

"This can be disappointing to some but it's important for us to know the level of spread of the virus in health care workers (and) help us determine what the spread is in the general population."

After being cleared for testing, each vehicle moved forward where another gloved and masked Guardsman stood by. Reaching through the window, the soldiers administered the nasal cavity swab test to each driver, placing the swab in protective sleeves to be sent to the lab. Test results, it was hoped, would be available in 24 to 48 hours.

The process appeared to proceed smoothly after the initial delays. It was estimated up to 75 people had received a test for COVID-19 by the end of the day. One more day of drive-through testing was planned for Wednesday in Grand Island.