Coronavirus testing across Pennsylvania declined during the holidays, but state officials are ramping up testing and contact tracing.
As students head back to schools and colleges, state officials are pushing for mass testing to identify anyone who might be positive, even if they're not showing symptoms.
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Michael Huff, Pennsylvania's Director of Testing and Contact Tracing, says more than 8.3 million test results have been collected statewide. “Our COVID-19 testing provider, AMI, continues to offer regional testing in five counties each week. Last week, the regional sites tested approximately 4,000 individuals."
Contact tracers can't follow up on every positive result, so they want everyone to download the state's app.
Coronavirus testing across Pennsylvania declined during the holidays. But state officials say it's important to test for the virus in order to control it.
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More than 8.3 million COVID-19 tests have been administered across the state. Too many for contact tracers to track. But -- Michael Huff, Director of Testing and Contact Tracing, says we shouldn't become complacent about testing just because vaccines are now approved.
“Our approach to COVID-19 testing reflects the current reality and our commitment to keeping our community safe,” Huff said. “Even though the hope is that there will be a COVID-19 vaccine available for most people sometime in this new year, the vaccine does not override the importance of continuing to test for the virus and contain it to stop the spread.”
He's pushing for surveillance testing in places like colleges, where people who have the virus could be asymptomatic.