Albany airport begins COVID testing
Weekly tests free for its 500 workers, travelers may pay $30 to $60
Albany International Airport on Friday began offering the first of what will be regular COVID -19 tests based on saliva samples that were developed by the State University of New York’s Upstate Medical University.
Available free of charge for the approximately 500 people who work at the airport and for $30 or $60 for travelers, depending on whether they turn in the swab or mail it in from their homes, it marks one of the first such test programs nationwide at airports.
“This is all voluntary,” said Airport CEO Philip Calderone, who went to the testing station set up in the facility ’s lower level for what officials said was a “soft opening ” of the new program.
The hope is that the widespread testing can help trace and contain new cases of the virus. And being tested can provide a layer of reassurance both for employees who work at the airport as well as for travelers.
Employees will be able to take weekly tests if they want.
To conduct the test, a person uses a Q -tip-like swab to rub inside his or her cheeks 10 times on each side. The swab is then inserted in a tube and sent off for testing with the person’s name attached.
The swab results are initially pooled or combined in batches of about a dozen people. If those tests come back negative then health authorities know that all of those 12 people are virus-free.
If one of the batches turns up positive, testers then home-in on each of the dozen people by
testing their samples individually to pinpoint the source.
The test, developed with the help of Quadrant Biosciences, also uses PCR, or Polymerase Chain Reaction, technology which is more accurate than testing for antibodies.
With PCR, lab technicians look to see if the genetic material comprising the virus is present.
The federal Food and Drug Administration has said the SUNY test, developed with Quadrant Biosciences, is one of the most sensitive tests in existence at this time.
Employees who took the test on Friday said it was a matter of having peace of mind.
“It creates a comfort level with my employees and with the public,” said Helen Chadderdon, the airport’s marketing concession manager.
“It doesn’t hurt,” remarked Dave Cook, the airport’s fire department chief.
“I’m encouraging them all to get tested,” Cook said of his 21-person firefighting crew.
Not everyone was ready to jump in to the tests just yet.
As the testing started a group of four employees stood off to the side watching. One woman, who didn’t want to provide her name, said she wasn’t yet sure if she would take the test, adding that she’s experienced no COVID symptoms.
Kevin Hicks, an airport board member, said he
believes travelers who may worry about getting exposed on their trips will be anxious for the tests, which are also less expensive than other varieties (Other COVID tests can range between $120 and $190).
“For the traveler this is a home run,” Hicks said. “For the workers here it creates an environment where people are a little more comfortable.”