PROVIDENCE – With COVID-19 cases hitting record-breaking highs in Rhode Island, more employers are interested in workplace testing programs. But some are concerned that even if they enroll in testing programs, supply will not meet demand.
In early 2020, the state partnered with Polaris MEP and the Rhode Island Manufacturers Association to pilot a workplace testing program using rapid antigen tests. Following the program’s success among manufacturers, the offer was extended to employers in all industries.
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On Jan. 4, Polaris MEP and the manufacturers association emailed manufacturers to remind them of the testing program. Within hours, Polaris MEP Center Director Kathie Mahoney had received around 20 email responses from businesses interested in the program.
Mahoney said she was pleased with the response, calling the offer “a fantastic program” that helps businesses stay open.
But Mahoney anticipates that supply shortages will at some point outweigh demand for the testing kits, as businesses and individuals across the state and around the country scramble to secure tests at rapidly filling state-sponsored sites and through retail stores.
David Chenevert, executive director of the manufacturers association, had urgent concerns about a lack of testing availability.
“I have numerous companies requesting to sign up for the testing program, but the state has limited to no test kits available per the coordinate for the testing program,” Chenevert said, adding that there is also a “severe delay” in receiving results.
When reached for comment, a spokesperson for the R.I. Department of Health did not directly respond to questions about whether the state’s supply of COVID-19 tests can meet demand for the program.
The On-Site Business Testing Program supplies rapid, self-swabbing COVID-19 tests to Rhode Island businesses. The program currently has 172 businesses enrolled, according to the health department, and demand has recently ramped up, with 75 of those enrolled businesses having previously participated and requested to begin testing again on or after Nov. 29.
Chenevert called on the state, including the R.I. Department of Education, to address the obstacles a lack of testing and timely results presents for many residents.
“Testing is critical, test results are the next link and the lost wage issue follows for allowance to apply for [temporary disability insurance],” Chenevert said. “In addition, if you have children and parents test positive, this issue gets magnified as these children cannot go back to school until tested and there is limited remote learning.”
With these issues compounding, “2022 is not starting off on the right foot,” Chenevert said.
Jacquelyn Voghel is a PBN staff writer. Contact her at Voghel@PBN.com.
