Spokane’s health district is asking the state Department of Health for help in re-establishing a community-based Covid testing site here.
The county has had high case numbers over the last several weeks. Interim Health Officer Francisco Velazquez says there’s no sign yet that trend is changing. The case surge has led to an increased demand for testing.Velazquez says there’s interest among health providers in creating a public site, such as the one that operated last year at the Spokane County Fairgrounds.
“So there’s a lot of collaboration in the community, but it’s all a matter of resources right now, not only for us but also for the state, because we’re not the only ones asking for additional assistance. We’ll know more about over the next few days," he said.
Meanwhile, the academic year started Wednesday for several Spokane-area school districts. Spokane and East Valley will begin Thursday. Velazquez says the health district will stay in contact with districts to monitor the virus.
He says the safety measures employed by school districts last year kept Covid under control within school boundaries.
“I want to emphasize that it wasn’t transmission inside the school system, it was transmission from the community into the school system," he said.
Velazquez reminded people to take safety precautions during the upcoming Labor Day weekend to avoid contracting or spreading the virus.