Gov. Jay Inslee must produce a comprehensive plan for increasing COVID-19 testing in Washington.
This is critical now that Inslee is reopening parts of the economy and deploying a contract-tracing brigade, to better inform people exposed to the novel coronavirus.
With a new $765,120 grant, Global Health professor Paul Drain will lead a study to develop an antigen-based COVID-19 test – as well as evaluate PCR-based tests and immunological assays – to be used at the point of care. This grant, sponsored by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, is titled “Developing and Evaluating Point-of-Care Antigen and Immunoassays for COVID-19 and Cytokine Release Syndrome among people being screened for SARS-CoV-2 infection in Seattle”.
Only 10-20% of people with flu-like symptoms actually have the influenza virus. But a new study in Seattle will offer real time testing of the flu this year promising results in less than 30 minutes.
The study will take place at Harborview Medical Center and six other locations around Seattle. If you've had two flu-like symptoms: body aches, cough, or fever in the last week, you're eligible to participate in the study.
After signing a consent form, UW grad students will swab your nose and test for flu and other stuff.