What can and cannot be recycled in Kent County, and how do it. And what happens to everything else? WKTV Journal, working with Kent County Department of Public Works Resource Recovery Specialist Lauren Westerman, are working to look at specific consumer products and other items and give you the answers.
In this post, we look at those at-home COVID-19 rest kits — part plastic, part cardboard packaging and paper instructions, part that nasty stick you stuck up your nose and other medical materials. Maybe you want to just toss everything in the nearest trash can, but should you? Here is the lowdown from an expert:
(If you received the kit in the mail, remember to look for a recycling label on the mailer.)
Does your mailer envelope have a recycling label? (Kent County)
Remove the test supplies from the paperboard box. Flatten the box and place it into your curbside recycling cart. The paper instructions can also go into your curbside recycling cart. The box and paper will head to the Recycling Center where it is sorted out from non-paper items, baled, and transported to a local paper mill to be processed into a new paper product that can be used again.
After performing your COVID-19 at home test, throw away the swab, the wrapper from around the swab, the test card, the test card’s soft plastic pouch, and the empty plastic dropper bottle.
The only piece remaining is the hard plastic piece that (possibly) held all the various test pieces. If this hard piece of plastic has a recycling symbol on it, then it may be placed into your curbside recycling cart. The plastic will be sorted with similar rigid plastics at the Recycling Center, shipped to a facility where the plastic is flaked or pelletized, and eventually remolded into a new plastic item.
Do you have a question about a specific consumer product or other item? Contact WKTV at ken@wktv.org. Please send a photo of the product and the recycling label if available.
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services announced early this month that the state plans to offer a voluntary COVID-19 school-based testing program to provide weekly tests to educators with the “goal of having all Michigan school districts offer an in-person learning option for students by March 1.”
But many local school districts, including Wyoming Public Schools, either are already using or plan to use a Kent County Health Department testing program which initially proved successful during a December 2020 pilot testing program at Godfrey-Lee Public Schools — one of may local district also already providing in-school education to any student household requesting it.
The county program “is not part of the MDHHS testing program that is available to schools,” Joann Hoganson, Director of Community Wellness for the Kent County Health Department (KCHD), said to WKTV. “Our pilot predated that program, and since it is up and running smoothly, most schools in Kent County have not chosen to take advantage of the state’s offer for testing.
“In fact, I am not aware of any schools that are using the testing supplies (and) program offered by the State,” said Hoganson, who serves as liaison between the KCHD and the schools . “They are using the saliva tests offered by Arctic Lab and organized by the Kent County Health Department.”
Wyoming Public Schools is one of the school districts taking advantage of the county system.
Wyoming Public Schools Superintendent Craig Hoekstra. (Supplied)
“Our testing clinic will be located at the Cherry Health Wyoming Community Health Center (in Wyoming) and will be up and running on Tuesday, Feb. 16,” Craig Hoekstra, superintendent of Wyoming Public Schools, said to WKTV. “In this partnership, we will be working with Arctic Labs and the KCHD.
“The credit for making this happen goes to Sarah Earnest, Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources. She did an excellent job working through the logistics, and we are excited about getting this going for our students, staff, and the greater community.”
The saliva COVID tests to be used, provided by KCHD in a partnership with Arctic Labs, are the same one used by the students, staff, and families of students and staff at Godfrey-Lee schools, Hoganson said. “This was a pilot, which went very well. We now provide similar testing for all of the schools in Kent County at several regional sites.”
Hoganson also provided WKTV with some KCHD numbers associated with the school-based program.
The first school testing site opened on Dec. 1, was available for full access on Jan. 18, and there are now four different sites available in Kent County. According to Hoganson, 20 schools and school districts have participated in testing at the regional sites, with 303 test “records” since the beginning of this year, resulting in 42 COVID-19 positive tests, 255 negative and six inconclusive.
“It is not a ‘rapid’ test … (but) it allows teachers and other staff who wake up with symptoms to get tested quickly,” she said. “They miss that day of school, but they get their results back within 24 to 36 hours. If they are positive, we have kept them out of school and prevented exposure to others. If they are negative, they can return to school much more quickly, thus reducing absenteeism by both students and staff. It is convenient and costs nothing to the person being tested.”
The MI Safe Schools Testing Program, announced Feb. 2, by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) provides no-cost COVID-19 rapid antigen testing for Michigan educators from both public and private schools.
Approximately 300 schools and 9,000 staff have signed up for testing so far, according to the state.
The rapid antigen testing program is modeled after Michigan’s successful pilot project that tested student-athletes and coaches who were participating in playoffs for high school fall sports such as football, according to the MDHHS. In that program more than 8,300 people were tested, including the Grand Rapids South Christian High School football team.
Within hours of Gov. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) announcing that high school winter contact sports could begin full activities next week, the Michigan High School Athletic Association (MHSAA) announced that member schools had the green light to being practice and competitions.
But there will be restrictions.
Girls and boys basketball, competitive cheer, ice hockey and wrestling can begin contact practice on Monday, Feb. 8 — “with some precautions to continue limiting the spread of COVID-19,” according to a MHSAA statement. Competition in those four sports can also begin, with basketball and hockey able to also start play Feb. 8, and cheer and wrestling able to compete starting Feb. 12.
Those four winter contact sports have been able to practice since Jan. 16, but only with non-contact activities.
“All four Winter contact sports also must participate with some level of masking and/or rapid testing,” according to the MHSAA statement. “All testing will be coordinated between schools and MDHHS or their local health departments. … Participants are defined as athletes, coaches and other team personnel active in practice and competition.”
For the Governor and the state health department, the action continues a gradual expansion of allowed activities driven by increasingly lower numbers of COVID-19 infections and hospitalizations.
Dr. Joneigh Khaldun of the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, with Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, at a large January news conference. (State of Michigan)
“We are pleased at our continued progress in Michigan that has allowed us to take this step forward in a phased approach,” Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, chief medical executive and chief deputy for health at MDHHS, said in supplied material. “As a parent and former student-athlete myself, I get how important athletics are to our children’s physical and mental health.
“However, parents and athletes need to understand the risk involved with contact sports if they choose to participate. Sports that require frequent closeness between players make it more difficult to prevent disease transmission even when mitigation measures are in place, including masks. Even when not required, we urge teams to implement a testing program to protect athletes, coaches and their families.”
Sport by sport details
The MHSAA statement gives some detail on the masking and testing requirements, as well as competition limits, for the various winter contact sports.
WKTV’s coverage of high school basketball could be returning soon as local teams can begin play as early as Feb. 8. (WKTV)
For girls and boys basketball, all participants must wear face coverings at all times – during all practices and non-game activities, and during games. There will initially be a competition limit of up to three games per week. However, a testing requirement “may allow participants to remove masks while in active participation on the floor if they test negative that game day.”
More details of the testing option “will be provided to schools when confirmed,” according to the MHSAA.
For competitive cheer, teams may compete without testing or face coverings, but must wear masks at all times outside of active competition or stunting/tumbling practice. And teams may participate in 12 days of competition, not counting MHSAA tournament events.
For ice hockey, all participants must wear face coverings at all times – during all practices and non-game activities, and during games. The competition limit will allow teams play up to three games per week, but “teams also may play two games on one non-school day twice; during those two weeks, teams are allowed up to four games Monday through Sunday.” The same testing and mask removal option exists for hockey as for basketball.
For wrestling, testing will be required but competitors will not be required to wear face coverings.Teams may compete two days per week, with no more than four teams at a site, “with each individual (wrestler) competing in up to three matches per day,” according to the MHSAA.
The same masking and testing requirements will be in place for all junior high/middle school teams wishing to participate in the four winter contact sports.
The updated MDHHS epidemic order allowing for the resumption of winter contact sports remains in effect through March 29. at this point in time.
Positive results led to change
“We continue to make progress in reducing cases and hospitalizations, helping protect our families and frontline workers and saving lives,” Gov. Whitmer said in supplied material. “Michigan continues to be a national leader in fighting this virus, and we must continue using a fact-based approach so we can return to a strong economy and normal day-to-day activities.”
According to the MDHHS statement, the state “has been closely monitoring three metrics for stabilization or declines over the past several weeks, and Michigan continues to see improvements” in the following areas:
Hospital capacity dedicated to COVID-19 patients has been in 10-week decline, with current capacity at 6.6 percent for beds with COVID-19 patients. The number peaked at 19.6 percent on Dec. 4, 2020.
Overall case rates are currently at 159 cases per million after peaking at 740 cases per million on Nov. 14. The rate has been in solid decline for 24 days.
The positivity rate is currently at 4.9 percent and declining — the last time positivity was as low was mid-October.
The South Christian High School football team returns to practice Wednesday, Dec. 30, after mandated COVOD-19 testing was completed. (WKTV/K.D. Norris)
When Grand Rapids South Christian High School’s football team returned to the practice field Wednesday, in preparation for its hoped-for return to the Sailors’ Division 4 playoffs with a regional final game Jan. 9, 2021, coaches and players actually had two playbooks to follow.
One is the on-field playbook put together by head coach Danny Brown and his staff as they prepare the team for a road game against the Edwardsburg Eddies. The second is an even more extensive COVID-19 testing playbook which the team will have to follow to the letter to practice, let alone get back to competition.
Following extensive COVID-19 rapid testing instructions laid out by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Service (MDHHS) and the Michigan High School Athletic Association (MHSAA) — including an 14-page “how to” of use for the BinaxNOW antigen tests by kit maker Abbott — the Sailors’ athletic department and school staff begin their first round of testing this week.
As with all fall sports teams preparing to return to action, if all players, coaches and personnel test negative through the first round of testing, they may proceed with full-contact practices as early as Dec. 31.
“Our players and coaches are looking forward to getting back on the field with another opportunity to finish our season,” South Christian athletic director David Kool said to WKTV. “We realize the only way we can accomplish this is by participating in the pilot testing program. The MHSAA and the MDHHS have clearly outlined their expectations and have given very sound guidance on the process so we are ready to begin the testing on Wednesday.”
The testing went well on Wednesday, Dec. 30, and the team began practice later in the day.
A graphic for Abbott BinaxNOW test. (Abbott)
Testing kits came this week
The MDHHS Testing Pilot Program for Organized Sports, which the Sailors are part of, involves the MDHHS, the MHSAA, all of the schools choosing to restart fall sports, and local health departments. It is available to student athletes in girls volleyball, girls swimming & diving, and football “who have already qualified or begun competing in MHSAA postseason championship games and meets within the regular Fall 2020 season,” the MHSAA states.
Also according to the MHSAA, the testing pilot program is “an opportunity for student athletes to finish out their seasons through rigorous COVID-19 antigen (rapid) testing. By agreeing to frequent rapid testing and other COVID-19 safety precautions, student athletes, coaches, and staff who are symptom-free and continue to test negative for COVID-19 can participate.”
In addition to providing a way for student athletes to complete their competitions, according to the MHSAA, if successful “this pilot provides an opportunity for public health and schools to assess an antigen testing strategy for students and staff, paving the way for a broader school testing protocol and the safe reopening of K-12 schools.”
“We’re excited about this opportunity for our remaining football playoff teams to return to play and thankful to the MDHHS for the opportunity to take part in this pilot program,” MHSAA’s Geoff Kimmerly said to WKTV. “Boxes of tests departed from our building Monday to give teams the opportunity to begin testing and full practice again Wednesday, and we are working with MDHHS to answer questions and provide training in administering these tests.
“This is the avenue forward for our teams wishing to complete the football season, and we’re confident the testing process will go smoothly and allow them to do so,” Kimmerly said.
And that “avenue forward,” just getting a chance to finish their season, is all that South Christian wants.
“January 9 (game day) is going to be a fun day for all involved,” Kool said. The hoped-for return to the field “has been a much anticipated day, and our athletes and coaches are going to be ready to go.”
After a state-mandated five-week “pause” in the state high school football playoffs, the South Christian High School Sailors are back on the practice field today and preparing for a regional final game at Edwardsburg on Saturday, Jan. 2, 2021.
With action by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) on Dec. 18, announced by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, and resulting action by the Michigan High School Athletic Association (MHSAA) on that same day, football and two other high school fall sports are allowed to resume practice in preparation of finishing their seasons.
David Kool, South Christian athletic director, on the set of WKTV Journal Sports Connection. (WKTV)
“I have had a virtual meeting with the team since the news was announced and they are very excited,” Danny Brown, South Christian head football coach, said to WKTV. “I think excitement might be an understatement. We are also thankful for the opportunity to get closure on our season. These kids have sacrificed a lot to get us to this point and it is awesome they will have the chance to see their season all the way to the end.”
The Sailors (8-1, and 3-0 in the playoffs), have not played since Nov. 13, when they defeated Hamilton in a regional semifinal, and are scheduled to travel to Edwardsburg (8-0) for the regional final.
The MDHSS and Gov. Whitmer in mid-November, responding to COVID-19 pandemic statistical surges, banned in-school education for high schools and, as a result, put football, volleyball and girls swimming and diving teams into hiatus as their fall tournaments were in process.
The November order also put a pause on winter sports practices and competitions, including girls and boys basketball. Last week’s changes of state health department and MHSAA directions does not allow for resumption of basketball and other winter sports at this time.
A key element in resuming winter sports will likely be how the fall sports competitions operate with new pandemic related “rapid testing” protocols.
According to a MHSAA statement on Dec. 18. “teams and individuals still participating in tournament play will be allowed to do so as part of an MDHHS pilot rapid testing program designed to gain insight and collect data on the spread of COVID-19 as the MDHHS plans to provide expanded rapid testing availability to schools in January.”
At this point, the details of that rapid testing protocol are yet to come from the MDHSS and the MHSAA.
David Kool, South Christian athletic director, on the set of WKTV Journal Sports Connection. (WKTV)
“We don’t know the specifics yet of the pilot testing program that is going to be mandatory for our athletes but we look forward to complying with the MHSAA and MDHHS on this,” David Kool, South Christian athletic director said to WKTV. “We realize this is the only thing that gives the kids a chance to finish their season and we are really happy about that.”
The uncertainty is not diminishing the anticipation for the resumption of the Sailor’s state title drive, however.
“We are thrilled that the MHSAA announced the restart of the football playoffs,” Kool said. “Coach Brown, along with the rest of the staff and players, cannot wait to take the field on January 2nd at Edwardsburg. Amidst all of this chaos, this is a special opportunity that these kids will never forget and we are blessed to have another chance at finishing this season.”
And, after waiting more than a month not knowing if they would even get a change to get back on the field, coach Brown says his staff and team are ready for whatever comes.
“The testing part adds a whole new element to the situation but we are willing to do whatever it takes to get to the finish line,” Brown said.
Details of initial MHSAA restart plans
According both MHSAA Dec. 18 statement, football playoffs will begin Saturday, Jan. 2, with regional finals for 11-player teams and semifinals for 8-player teams. The 8-player championship games in both divisions and all 11-player semifinals will be played Saturday, Jan. 9. The football season will conclude with the 11-player finals in all divisions the weekend of Jan. 15-16. All semifinals in both 11 and 8-player will be played at home sites. Sites for championship games will be finalized and announced later.
In addition, the girls volleyball tournament will begin again with quarterfinals on Jan. 5, with semifinals and finals to be played Jan. 7-9 at Kellogg Arena in Battle Creek. Also, the girls swimming and diving finals with return with its three Lower Peninsula finals competed during the weekend of Jan. 15-16, with one division at each of three locations.
“All previous safety protocols remain in place, and no spectators will be allowed at the fall tournament events,” according to the MHSAA statement. And “all indoor Winter sports — which are not part of the pilot rapid testing program — remain on pause from the MDHHS until Jan. 16, although girls and boys alpine skiing season — competed outdoors and following safety protocols including all activity must be outdoors — will be allowed to begin practice Monday, Dec. 21.”
The MHSAA Representative Council is expected to meet Tuesday, Dec. 22, to discuss details for the rest of winter sports. And all Spring 2021 sports are expected to begin on time and play complete seasons concluding with their traditional MHSAA tournament dates in May and June.
Wyoming Public Schools Superintendent Craig Hoekstra announced today, Oct. 20, that students and staff at Wyoming Junior High will move to remote learning for contract tracing after receiving notification from the Kent County Health Department (KCHD) of a positive COVID-19 test result.
On Tuesday, Oct. 20, the district was notified by the Kent County Health Department (KCHD) that an individual at the junior high had received a positive COVID-19 test result.
“Out of an abundance of caution and in collaboration with the Kent County Health Department, it has been determined that closing the building will give the KCHD the necessary time to complete contract tracing and contact any staff and/or student(s) that may have come in contact with those who have tested positive,” according to the statement. “This will also allow us to slow any potential community spread.”
The move to remote learning will begin immediately, on Wednesday, Oct. 21, and run through at least Friday, Oct. 23.
“The District will work alongside the KCHD to assess the reopening of Wyoming Junior High the following week,” according to the statement. “An update will be provided to all Wyoming Junior High families on Friday, October 23rd. During the closure, the District will thoroughly clean and disinfect the school building while staff and students are not present.”
Other WPS school buildings except Gladiola elementary — which is currently also in a remote-learning status due to positive COVID-19 testing — will remain open for in-person learning.
The district statement also “urges all WPS staff and students who experience symptoms or who may have been exposed to COVID-19 to get tested and self-quarantine. Parents are encouraged to monitor their children for the onset of any symptoms related to COVID-19. If there is any change in your child’s health, please contact your medical provider.”
The KCHD offers free COVID-19 screenings at multiple sites via appointment or walk-in. More information on sites and appointments is available online here or by calling 616-632-7200.
The district also “urges all of our students, staff and families to comply with the CDC guidelines to avoid further spread of COVID-19 in our community.”
Wyoming Junior High families were reminded to check their email and ParentVue accounts for additional updates.
More information on Wyoming Public Schools is available at wyominggps.org.
Wyoming Public Schools Superintendent Craig Hoekstra announced over the weekend that students and staff at Gladiola Elementary School will move to remote learning after receiving notification from the Kent County Health Department of a positive COVID-19 test result.
All other WPS school buildings will remain open for in-person learning.
The day of the announcement, Saturday, Oct. 17, the district was notified by the Kent County Health Department (KCHD) that an individual at Gladiola elementary had received a positive COVID-19 test result. Due to the extent of possible students and staff who made contact with this individual, the KCHD has recommended that the district close Gladiola elementary for in-person instruction.
The closure period will run from today, Monday, Oct. 19, through Wednesday, Oct. 28, and all “learning during this timeframe will be conducted online,” according to the statement.
“Out of an abundance of caution and in collaboration with the Kent County Health Department, it has been determined that closing the building will give the KCHD the necessary time to complete contract tracing and contact any staff and/or student(s) that may have come in contact with those who have tested positive,” according to the statement. “This will also allow us to slow any potential community spread. During the closure, the District will thoroughly clean and disinfect the school building while staff and students are not present.”
The district statement also “urges all WPS staff and students who experience symptoms or who may have been exposed to COVID-19 to get tested and self-quarantine. Parents are encouraged to monitor their children for the onset of any symptoms related to COVID-19. If there is any change in your child’s health, please contact your medical provider.”
The KCHD offers free COVID-19 screenings at multiple sites via appointment or walk-in. More information on sites and appointments is available online here or by calling 616-632-7200.
The district also “urges all of our students, staff and families to comply with the CDC guidelines to avoid further spread of COVID-19 in our community.”
Gladiola families were reminded to check their email and ParentVue accounts for additional updates.
More information on Wyoming Public Schools is available at wyominggps.org.
Michigan Department of Health and Human Services this week issued an emergency order requiring COVID-19 testing for agricultural and food processing employees.
The order, according to an Aug. 4 statement from the state, “makes Michigan a national leader in COVID-19 safety protections for agricultural and migrant workers, building on Executive Orders from Gov. Gretchen Whitmer requiring workplace safety measures in meat and poultry processing plans and safe housing for COVID positive migrant workers.”
“The men and women who work in our fields and food processing plants are at particular risk for COVID-19, and they need and deserve protection,” Robert Gordon, MDHHS director, said in supplied material. “Today’s order will help to reduce the spread of COVID in communities across Michigan and reduce the pandemic’s disparate impact on Latinos.”
In recent weeks, there have been 11 identified outbreaks in farms and food processing plants in Michigan, according to the state. In addition, Latinos are 5 percent of Michigan’s population but represent 11 percent of COVID cases in which the individual’s ethnicity is identified.
“The department will work with employers and housing operators to ensure timely reporting of testing data and access to PPE so that together we can prevent further viral spread,” Gordon said.
The order makes several requirements for migrant housing camp operators to provide COVID-19 testing, including testing of all new residents with 48 hours of arrival, with separate housing for newly arriving residents for 14 days and a second test 10 to 14 days after arrival.
In addition, employers of migrant or seasonal workers, meat, poultry and egg processing facilities and greenhouses with over 20 employees on-site at a time to are ordered to provide COVID-19 testing.
“Ensuring the health and safety of Michigan’s essential food and agriculture workers is paramount to keeping our food supply chain moving,” Gary McDowell, director of the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, said in supplied material. “These workers are our frontline staff who are a vital part of bringing our food from farm to plate.”
Employers and housing operators have several options for completing the required testing, including requesting state assistance. And the MDHHS also released a guidance document for employers providing step-by-step information on how employers can complete testing and highlighting resources like grant funding and insurance coverage through Medicaid that can provide financial support for testing.
COVID positive and exposed residents would be required to isolate or quarantine until meeting the return-to-work criteria from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. MDHHS will be partnering with Community Action Agencies in impacted communities in order to provide food, housing, and economic support for workers who lose income due to testing.
“It is critical that we keep our workers and their families across the food and agriculture industry safe and healthy,” John Cakmakci, president of UFCW Local 951, said in supplied material. “I applaud Directors Gordon and McDowell for their efforts to protect the people of Michigan and our economy.”
The Kent County Health Department is partnering with the Black Impact Collaborative and LINC UP to provide a free COVID-19 community testing today, Monday, June 29, from 2 to 7 p.m., at the Gallery at LINC UP located at 1167 Madison S.E., Grand Rapids.
The county announcement is also available in Spanish at the link at the end of this story.
In Kent County, members of the Latinx community account for 39.4 percent of the COVID-19 cases while comprising 10 percent of the population, while African Americans have 19.25 percent of the cases but make up 10 percent of the population.
Federal CDC-provided Coronavirus test kit. (KCHD)
“We know that COVID-19 has been disproportionately impacting the African American and Latinx communities, so the Black Impact Collaborative wanted to partner with Kent County to make sure that African Americans and Latinxs in our community have the opportunity to get tested,” Robert Womack, Kent County commissioner, said in supplied material. “This is such a needed resource for our community to allow anyone to get tested and we are thankful that the County put this testing day together.”
Any person, 6 months of age or older, can get tested, according to the county statement. Pre-registration for this event is encouraged by going online through this link or calling 616-632-7200 but walk-in testing is available.
The specific location of the free testing is based on county data.
“Our data is showing that 17 percent of our COVID-19 positive cases are located in the 49507 Zip Code and yet only six percent of Kent County’s population resides in this area,” Dr. Adam London, director of the Kent County Health Department, said in supplied material. “This type of data continues to inform our response to COVID-19 and ensures our resources are accessible to the most impacted neighborhoods.”
The county health department “will continue working to address the racial and ethnic health disparities by collaborating with community partners to offer testing in areas that are showing a higher prevalence of positive cases,” according to the county statement.
“We are excited to work with community partners like the Kent County Health Department, who recognize that racial health disparities exist and are actively working to address them by changing their practices,” Vincent Thurman, communications manager at LINC UP, said in supplied material. “COVID-19 has further revealed how stark these disparities are and how much needs to change.
“Partnering with KCHD is a great step forward to improving equity in healthcare. The data shows that Black and Brown communities are at a higher risk for contracting COVID-19 and we are happy to have free tasting available to residents in our neighborhoods.”
To learn more about Kent County Health Department services visit accesskent.com/health.
Kent County Health Department’s Wyoming location, The Potter’s House school, is a “walk-through” testing site is available Tuesdays and Thursdays, 9 a.m. to noon., until Aug. 1. (KCHD)
The Kent County Health Department’s efforts to make COVID-19 testing more widely available to specific segments of the public has expanded by the opening of community testing sites, including ones at the Wyoming’s The Potter’s House school, and in Kentwood at the Kent County Health Department South Clinic.
According to a June 3 statement, testing is available to individuals over the age of six months who live in a community impacted by COVID-19, have a known exposure to a person with confirmed COVID-19 or symptoms of COVID-19, or work in a job that puts them at high risk for exposure (jail, homeless shelters, nursing homes or assisted living facilities, food processing facilities, or any business that limits the ability to practice social distancing, or has repeated close contact with the public).
“Expanding COVID-19 testing in Kent County is important,” Christopher Bendekgey, the department’s community clinical services director, said in supplied material. “We wanted to establish sites in the geographic areas where we are seeing the highest incidents of positive cases and where individuals have less access to transportation.”
Federal CDC-privided Coronavirus test kit. (Kent County Health)
The Potter’s House “walk-through” testing site is located at 810 Van Raalte Dr. SW, and available Tuesdays and Thursdays, 9 a.m. to noon., until Aug. 1. The Kentwood “drive through” site is located at Kent County Health Department South Clinic, 4700 Kalamazoo Ave. SE, Mondays and Wednesdays, 9 a.m. noon, until Sept. 1.
Other sites in the county which offer the tests include the drive-through Kent County Health Department Main Clinic, 700 Fuller Ave. NE, Mondays and Wednesdays, 9 a.m. to noon, until Sept. 1; and the walk-through Baxter Community Health Center, 958 Baxter SE, Tuesdays and Thursdays, 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., until Sept. 1.
Registration for the testing is “strongly encouraged” and can be done by visiting accesskent.com/health or by calling 616-632-7200.
No insurance or identification is needed to receive the free test. However, people who have health insurance are asked to bring their insurance cards.
Individuals must wear a mask when arriving at a testing location. The test is administered by inserting a small swab into the nose and gently collecting nasal secretions from the back of the nose and throat. “It can cause mild discomfort but is a quick procedure,” according to the county statement.
Results should be available within three to five business days. If positive, individuals will receive further information from KCHD.
Part of the goal of the increased testing availability is “so we can get more accurate idea of the spread of COVID-19 in our community,” Bendekgey said. “It will not only protect individuals and their families but is an essential part of our overall strategy towards recovery.”
Both Michigan and Kent County report COVID-19 numbers routinely, but a big question these days is what specifically does those numbers mean — people who are sick, people who had the virus and did not get sick, people who never contracted the virus for whatever reason?
Kent County, for example, reported 3,385 cases as of May 23 (with 68 deaths), while statewide numbers had 54,881 “confirmed cases” as of May 25.
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) announced last week that it had changed the way it reports data on COVID-19 testing to make those numbers a little clearer.
“The change makes the data more accurate and relevant as the state continues to expand diagnostic testing to help slow and contain the spread of COVID-19,” the Man 23 MDHHS statement read. “The update to the website separates out the results of two different types of tests – serology and diagnostic. Michigan – along with some other states – has not separated data for diagnostic and serology tests.”
Data on serology testing – also known as antibody testing – is separated from the other testing numbers. Currently, serology testing can be used to help determine whether someone has ever had COVID-19, while traditional viral diagnostic tests determine if someone has active disease.
“Accuracy and transparency are paramount as we continue to respond to this pandemic,” Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, chief medical executive and chief deputy for health, said in supplied material. “We continue to expand and improve data reporting to make sure the public understands where their community stands with the COVID-19 outbreak.”
Digging into the numbers
MDHHS emphasizes that the change in reporting does not affect the number of lab-confirmed COVID-19 cases in Michigan. It does lower the percentage of positive tests over the last nine days — when serology testing became more common. Michigan’s overall percentage of positive tests since the beginning of the outbreak remains virtually the same — changing from 14.2 percent positive tests to 14.3 percent.
Michigan’s COVID-19 website now shows results for 512,891 total tests reported to the state – with 450,918 diagnostic test results and 61,973 serology results.
Diagnostic tests are most helpful in tracking the spread of COVID-19 since they can show the number of people who currently have the COVID-19 virus. Serology tests are still being studied regarding their utility. They are currently most helpful in understanding how much a community may have been exposed to the disease.
“However, it is unknown if the presence of an antibody truly means someone is immune to COVID-19, and if so, for how long,” the statement continues. “Results of antibody tests should not change decisions on whether an individual should return to work, or if they should quarantine based on exposure to someone with the disease.”
Approximately 12 percent of Michigan’s tests overall have been serology tests; about 60 percent of those have been from the past nine days.
The State of Michigan, like most governmental agencies, puts out press releases to media sources on a wide-range of issues almost daily. Some are important for the public to know; some are just routine governmental business. Some make the news and some do not.
We at WKTV have decided that in these times of COVID-19, of often-filtered news, we’d let the state departments say what they want to say to the pubic a little more directly. Following are links to State of Michigan releases from Monday and Tuesday, April 13-14 — with a little emphasis given by our staff on what we found interesting.
State expanding COVID-19 testing criteria, access
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) announced Monday it is expanding testing criteria for Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) to include individuals with mild symptoms, and has published a COVID-19 test site finder at Michigan.gov/Coronavirus to help Michiganders locate a testing site near them.
“Expanded testing is needed to learn more about how COVID-19 is spreading in our state,” Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, chief medical executive and chief deputy for health, said in supplied material. “We want to make sure people know that if they have symptoms, they should work with their medical provider to be tested.”
Michigan’s testing priority criteria now includes: hospitalized patients, symptomatic healthcare workers and expanded list of “patients in congregate facilities with symptoms,” including those at:
