PROVIDENCE – Rhode Island will be looking to test 900 asymptomatic residents per day in the next rollout of testing, announced Gov. Gina M. Raimondo on Monday.
Starting June 8, close contact employees with no symptoms such as barbers and salon workers, tattoo artists massage therapists, gym employees and childcare workers will be able to schedule a free test on their own at one of Rhode Island’s National Guard sites and their results will be ready within a few days. Over time, retail workers, teachers, higher education professors, students, manufacturing workers and parents will be able to access these early warning tests for free as well.
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In order to schedule an appointment, residents can call the R.I. Department of Health or go to portal.ri.gov.
The expanded testing to people without symptoms comes as a recommendation by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as a best practice to measure early warnings of a potential breakout, according to the governor who was on a call with fellow governors, the White House and the CDC this morning. In that call, Rhode Island was rated as the best in the nation when it comes to testing for its highest rate of testing per capita. According to Raimondo, just above 15% of the state’s total population has been tested compared to the national average of about 5.5%.
The new, aggressive effort for an early warning detection system of testing people who are asymptomatic, both the governor and R.I. Department of Health Director Nicole Alexander-Scott said that they know that tests aren’t as accurate with people who do not have symptoms compared to those who do.
“But they are still somewhat accurate,” said Raimondo. “Little information is better than no information.”
Cases of COVID-19 in the state rose by 201 from June 5 through June 7, including a 51-case rise on June 7, marking the lowest day-to-day increase since March 27, according to the R.I. Department of Health Monday.
The state is no longer providing COVID-19 data on weekends and the governor’s COVID-19 press conferences will be held three times per week, on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. The DOH’s last release on COVID-19 figures was on June 5, reflecting June 4 data.
Deaths due to the virus increased by 27 since the state’s June 5 briefing, now totaling 799.
Current hospitalizations in the state related to COVID-19 totaled 146 in Rhode Island on Sunday, a decline from 182 on June 4. Of those hospitalized, 28 were in intensive care units and 20 were on ventilators. To date, 1,390 COVID-19 patients have been discharged from the hospital in the state.
The state conducted 8,430 COVID-19 tests from June 5 to June 7, with tests in the state now totaling 179,169.
Both Raimondo and Alexander-Scott encouraged those who attended the Black Lives Matter peaceful protests over the last week to get tested and continue to monitor for symptoms.
“From a public health perspective, it’s imperative for people to continue to be engaged,” said Dr. Alexander-Scott who encouraged people to continue to call out injustices and practice their First Amendment right to gather and demonstrate, but to do it safely while the coronavirus pandemic is occurring simultaneously.
Congregations are still capped at 15 people in Rhode Island, according to reopening plans.
Raimondo, who has publicly said that she supports the Black Lives Matter movement, said she encourages the young people who attended these protests – nearly crowds of 10,000 on Friday night in Providence – that they should steer clear of those vulnerable with underlying health conditions to prevent a breakout.
“I never again want to close Rhode Island’s economy,” said Raimondo. “We shouldn’t have to do that again.”
This story has been updated to include details from the governor’s press conference.
