Tracking down the virus
By Jerry W. Kram
The New Town Fire Hall was the scene of long lines Tuesday as 1,000 people were tested for the virus that causes COVID-19.
R.J. Rabbithead, facilities safety officer for Elbowoods Clinic and a member of the MHA Nation COVID-19 Task Force said that although hundred of cars passed through the open fire hall, the process of logging the people and gathering samples went quickly. The testing was supposed to start at 10 a.m., but a line was already getting long so organizers opened the doors at 9:30 a.m.
“We are working with the State of North Dakota, National Guard and Upper Missouri District Health Unit to carry out testing,” Rabbithead said. “We are here to do community surveillance testing to see how widespread the virus is in the community.”
Lt. Colonel Patrick Flanagan is commander of the 81st Civil Support Team of the National Guard. The 81st, along with other units, have been assisting communities in doing COVID-19 testing for months. Two dozen Guard members were on hand to assist with the testing. Flanagan said he has lost count of how many testing events his troops have assisted with.
“This morning when we got here there was already a line, so we started our testing a little bit early,” Flanagan said. “It’s going really smoothly. (45 minutes into the event) I estimate we’ve already done more than 100 tests.”
The testing went quickly thanks to a new state website called testreg.nd.gov that allows individuals to preregister for COVID-19 testing. If a person is preregistered, then when it was their turn to be tested, all the nurse or medic had to do was scan a barcode on the person’s phone to get all their relevant information. Once that was recorded, the actual test took just two minutes or so.
