As the U.S. comes to grips with the COVID-19 pandemic, increased testing has shed a light on the spread of the virus.
In Anne Arundel County, testing is expected to ramp up in coming days as county health leaders get ready to implement drive-through testing, as well as direct testing inside what the county鈥檚 health officer called 鈥渃ongregant sites.鈥� The plans were announced during an online town hall about coronavirus on Saturday by county executive Steuart Pittman.
鈥淲e鈥檙e working with MDH [Maryland Health Department] and our hospital partners to standup drive through testing sites,鈥� said Anne Arundel County Health Officer Dr. Nilesh Kalyanaraman. 鈥淲ith the hope that this week we鈥檒l have at least one drive-through testing site this week in the county.鈥�
Kalyanaraman then spoke about the county鈥檚 vulnerable population who live in 鈥渃ongregant sites,鈥� such as senior and nursing homes, as well as those who are homeless and living in encampments.
鈥淗aving people congregated together is not a good idea in the time of a pandemic,鈥� said Kalyanaraman. He said the county will be working with homeless care providers and other county agencies to increase housing for the homeless and put them in as many individual units as possible.
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As for those living in nursing homes, treatment facilities and assisted living homes, he said beginning today the county has set up what he called a 鈥渟trike team.鈥�
This new team can rapidly respond to 鈥渁ny one of these facilities, test somebody who has symptoms consistent with COVID and then provide isolation and quarantine, advice and solutions for those congregant housing facilities so that we can address those needs as they are happening and not wait for an outbreak.鈥�
Once the county is able to ramp up testing, Dr. Kalyanaraman says the drive-through site will be similar to picking up dinner from a fast food restaurant, with the person being tested not even having to get out of their car. They鈥檒l be required to have an order from either their doctor or the county health department ahead of time, though.
The priority will obviously be on those with more severe symptoms, with the focus in particular on those with persistent shortness of breath and fevers that last for 72 hours.
鈥淲hat we鈥檙e finding is that shortness of breath is probably the most specific to COVID-19,鈥� said Kalyanaraman.
鈥淚f you think about cold symptoms those are more along the lines of sneezing and runny nose,” Kalyanaraman continued. “Trying to distinguish between whether you have a cold, the flu or COVID-19 is really hard and a lot of people are struggling with that. And we鈥檙e struggling with that in the healthcare system.鈥�
But later during the town hall he also stressed 鈥渘ot everything that is cough, fever, shortness of breath is COVID-19,鈥� said Kalyanraman. 鈥淚t is still flu season and so we do want to make that assessment as much as we can by phone before asking you to travel鈥� for a test.
