Carmel Mayor Jim Brainard has announced that all City of Carmel first responders and city employees working with the public are being tested this week and will continue to be tested weekly. Shifts of City of Carmel workers are getting the test through a drive-up access at Aria Diagnostics.
Brainard
“This local lab has the capacity to administer testing to our City of Carmel employees within a few days for those who are in essential jobs requiring interaction with the public or who work with crews or teams,” Brainard said. “If we can identify people who have the COVID-19 virus, then we can better prevent the spread. This is what the U.S. would have been able to do if tests had been available six weeks ago.”
If the spread can be slowed, it is possible that hospitals and healthcare workers can be kept from being overwhelmed, which will also give more time for the scientific community to develop a vaccine.
“It should save lives if we can test our first responders and city staff who are dealing with many people in the public and are asymptomatic but are carrying the virus,” Brainard said. “Then, those people will know to self-quarantine in order to further prevent the virus from spreading. We must do all we can to level the curve and keep our health care facilities from being overwhelmed.”
These tests are becoming available as the formula for the testing can be more quickly duplicated in labs across the country. The benefit of quicker result turnaround times makes this a valuable tool in our fight against COVID-19. Brainard consulted with area hospitals and medical professionals before proceeding with the City of Carmel frontline employee testing.
“Some may question the necessity for widespread testing of our city staff, but we cannot afford to err on the side of caution for this killer virus that has changed our way of life around the world,” Brainard said. “We need to stand strong as a community as we keep physically distancing while staying connected socially through online resources. We will get through this together.”
The mayor added that he has been advised that simply because someone has tested negative, they could still contract the virus and spread it, which is why continuing to practice physical distancing and hand washing is still vitally important.