Coronavirus testing has started through a special partnership involving the city of Emporia, Newman Regional Health and Lyon County Public Health.
The testing was formally announced Oct. 5. Lyon County Pubilc Health Chief Operating Officer Amanda Dreasher says a handful of people have used the so-called High Consequence Close Contact Collaborative. Others haven’t
Dreasher says it’s hard to get people without symptoms to come forward for a test, and very few people enjoy the traditional sinus swab needed for an accurate result.
The testing is for asymptomatic close contacts of positive COVID-19 patients, and Dreasher says there has been an increase in close contacts. She says more people are out and about, meaning more close contacts per individual and a larger set of gatherings where close contacts can develop.
Public Health is almost fully staffed, and Dreasher says it’s good that a lot of recent patients are either in the process of being released or have already gotten back to their normal routines.
