COVID-19 testing for a range of Rhode Islanders who are not experiencing symptoms of the disease is now available, Gov. Gina Raimondo announced during her Monday briefing, with a goal of testing 900 asymptomatic people per day.
“Testing smarter, not just testing more – that’s where we’re going,” the governor said.
The asymptomatic testing is being made available free of charge, and by appointment, at sites staffed by the National Guard.
Initially, it is being made available to workers in “close-contact” businesses – such as hair salons, barber shops, gyms and fitness centers – as well as child care employees and those who have participated in recent demonstrations, such as the June 5 that drew an estimated 10,000 people to Providence.
Workers in other sectors, such as retail and manufacturing, will follow. By the fall, the governor said, the plan is to have the testing available to students, parents and educators as part of the push to reopen school buildings.
Tests can be scheduled by visiting portal.ri.gov or calling the Rhode Island Department of Health at 222-8022.
Raimondo said the asymptomatic testing expansion is part of the state’s effort to execute a three-pronged testing strategy – providing rapid testing access and results to those with symptoms, quickly identifying and responding to outbreaks, and establishing an “early warning” system through monitoring of asymptomatic people.
“We have to use every tool at our disposal … to continue to keep the virus in check,” she said.
In terms of COVID-19 data, the picture continues to improve. Tuesday’s update showed 55 additional cases identified among 1,720 new tests, a positive rate of roughly 3.2 percent. Other key numbers also remained steady or declined, with 144 people hospitalized, 31 in ICUs and 19 intubated as of Tuesday’s update.
The latest numbers include nine new deaths, however, bringing the state’s toll to 808.
“Let’s just bear in mind that every single day, Rhode Islanders continue to lose loved ones to this virus,” Raimondo said Monday.
The governor on Monday also spoke about the Crush COVID RI mobile phone app, saying a new update – dubbed “Version 1.5” – has been available for download. She said “Version 2,” the final update of the app, will be released by the end of June. As of Monday, the governor said approximately 46,000 Rhode Islanders had downloaded the app.
Monday’s briefing was the first held on a new Monday-Wednesday-Friday schedule after several weeks of daily weekday briefings.
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