On Thursday, July 16, the Montana National Guard and the Ravalli County Public Health Department coordinated their efforts to test people for COVID-19. This was the 22nd testing site the Montana National Guard has done since the onset of the pandemic.
The Guard provided the set up, security, and handling of the test samples after they were administered. Those samples were then taken back to Helena where the testing would take place.
The parking lot at Hamilton High School was set up to move the vehicles through in a serpentine manner with entry only on one end and only one exit on the north end of the parking lot. A guardsman stopped each vehicle and asked if the person or persons in the vehicle were exhibiting any symptoms of the coronavirus like a cough or fever. If the answer was yes to any of their questions, the car was turned away. This was testing for asymptomatic cases only.
Once in line, the vehicles eventually made it to one of two testing locations that were manned by the public health department and other retired nurses. The test was self-administered with the nurse instructing the patient how to swab their nasal passage. Once done, the nurses put the swab into a sterile container to be transported to the state lab in Helena.
According to Public Information Officer Joseph Hopkins, people began lining up before 8 a.m. on Thursday morning. Once the testing began at 10 a.m., there was a steady stream of vehicles with one, two, and sometimes three people in them. This particular test was a nasal PCR antigen test. The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) can detect genetic material from the virus and help diagnose an active COVID-19 infection.
Karyn Johnston, public health nurse, said the testing would give the county a ‘snapshot’ of this particular time in the county of the rate of asymptomatic infection there was in the county. It also provided peace of mind for those being tested. The total tested on Thursday was 873 Ravalli County residents.
It will take about 14 days for the results to come back. Those who tested negative will be notified by mail. However, those whose tests come back positive will receive a phone call and given instructions on what to do next.
Hopkins said that everyone is susceptible at any time and should remain vigilant by keeping their social circle as small as possible, wearing a mask when in public or interacting with people, social distancing, and washing hands frequently and thoroughly.