Coronavirus testing remains a challenge, but UNC could help fill gap

Day Owl is a Pittsburgh company known for producing sustainably-sourced backpacks, but in response to the pandemic they have shifted gears to producing medical-grade masks for health care workers. They began shipping out the masks in early April and expect to produce between 1,000 to 2,000 masks a day. The company is working with the support of local foundations and has already received orders from Highmark for 30,000 face shields.

The United States and Italy have been playing catch up in the mitigation of the coronavirus pandemic and were resistant to implementing social distancing, while other countries took more aggressive approaches. Now both countries are looking to China and South Korea to learn how sweeping actions and industrialized scaling of measures such as fever clinics, temperature check points, portable CAT scanning, and social isolation, have helped to contain the pandemic.

Rather than send local residents to city-run testing sites in the East Bay of California, clinics in East Oakland are now running their own testing sites to better serve their community. Although one of the sites has already tested nearly 100 people and residents who are underinsured or uninsured can be tested for free, some believe the effort should have started much sooner.

By rapidly instituting mandatory testing of all inmates at a covid-19-stricken federal prison and segregating ill inmates, authorities reduced the number of new infections within weeks. At one point, nearly 70% of the inmates at the Terminal Island federal prison in San Pedro, California, had tested positive for the coronavirus as it raced through a facility where inmates normally interact constantly in crowded communal areas. As of mid-May, eight inmates had died and more than 500 had recovered.

To replace lost business and keep their employees on staff, Tasmanian businesses quickly diversified into new product lines to meet COVID-19-related demand. A camera accessories firm that saw nearly all of its sales to the film and TV industries dry up became a manufacturer of face shields. A plastic manufacturer increased its business by turning out acrylic counter-top protective screens. And a whiskey distillery began producing 2,000 liters of hand sanitizer per week.

Local businesses in Northeastern Ohio pivoted their operations to manufacture supplies needed to fight Covid-19 in an effort to fill a dire public need while preserving jobs for their employees. Employees were trained in industrial sewing machines to create masks, gowns, and other personal protective equipment for those on the frontlines. A Small Business Recovery grant allowed a distillery to use its existing technology to produce hand sanitizer instead of whiskey. Face shields were particularly tricky to produce effectively but 30 Northeast Ohio companies came together to create a custom product.

Eastern Shoshone and Northern Arapaho tribes share land, and despite previous disagreements, they collaborated to create one of the state's most effective coronavirus testing clinics. 3,000 people from both tribes have been tested, about 30% of all tests done in Wyoming. The two nations have also helped residents, impacted by casino closures and sharp drops in oil and gas revenues, with special hunting seasons, food supply distributions, and providing quarantine housing. More testing has meant higher cases identified, which has led some to create a narrative blaming Native people for the spread of the virus.

The state of Vermont has been able to keep COVID-19 cases to a minimal, at least in part by focusing on offering preventive protections for the most at-risk and vulnerable – such as the unhoused. The state's response has included "state-supported housing for the homeless, hazard pay, meal deliveries, and free, pop-up testing in at-risk communities," all of which prioritize high-risk populations rather than those who can easily self-isolate at home.

13 Washington school districts are piloting COVID-19 testing. By doing so, they can catch stop asymptomatic people from spreading the virus, offer testing to families who might not have access, and add a “sense of security for many staff members who are nervous.” Three of the districts participating “have tested more than 4,000 people using nearly 10,000 tests.”

Milan’s tampone sospeso or “suspended test” initiative provides rapid COVID-19 tests to stop the spread of the virus. The initiative sets up in highly visible public areas of Milan and is based on a model of mutual support where everyone pays what they can. It is run with the help of over 50 volunteers and Medicina Solidale, a group of medical professionals who provide free medical advice to those who can’t afford to access care. The project has raised 24,000 euros from 436 donors, which has enabled them to administer rapid antigenic swabs to more than 3000 people.