OKC testing, tracing plan advances
Oklahoma City is about to embark on an aggressive coronavirus testing and tracing program devised to keep COVID-19 in check over the summer and prepare for an autumn spike.
In partnership with Oklahoma City-County Health, the $28.8 million plan could fund nearly as many tests within the city limits as have been conducted statewide to this point in the pandemic.
With the seven-day average of new cases hitting new highs this week, the city council authorized the city manager to finalize agreements.
An outline of the program says its primary goals are "to provide increased testing capacity and availability, decreased turnaround times on test results, and to be prepared to respond to a potential spike."
Initial plans include funding for 50,000 tests, with a reserve fund sufficient to perform 200,000 more.
One hundred contact tracers would be hired to track down and advise individuals who may have been exposed to those testing positive.
Financing is from the $114.3 million Oklahoma City received for pandemic response under the federal CARES Act.
The largest share of the CARES Act money, $59.3 million, is being reserved for city government expenses, with an additional $26 million allocated to such things as utility, rental and food assistance for individuals and to relief payments for local businesses.
The testing and tracing program includes:
• Funding for four analyzer machines to rapidly provide test results.
• Vans, trailers, tents and other supplies necessary to set up neighborhood test sites.
• An advertising campaign to spread word of enhanced testing options.
•$1 million to support institutions including Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation and the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center in a national research alliance to make spaces safer, interrupt the virus' spread "and enable people to get back to their livelihoods."
• A $13 million reserve fund. Testing would primarily be provided through contracts with private medical providers but could be citysponsored. Analyzer machines could supplement capacity of private and public laboratories to reduce the turnaround time.