Weekly COVID-19 Testing Available Here at Howard
by Morgan Slappy
Bibb County schools have started offering students and staff with free weekly COVID tests every Monday at Howard High School from 7:30 to 9:30 am. The rapid test results are coming back within one or two days by secure email.
A group of nurses who are a part of ATC Healthcare are providing the testing, beginning January 10 of this year.
While initial turnout was not what the school expected, as the weeks passed, more students and staff have taken part in the program.
Amber Smith, a nurse with ATC Healthcare who administered these tests, said there has been a great turnout recently and that the events are a great idea.
“The numbers have increasingly picked up, so we want to make sure the students, the staff, and the community are safe,” said Smith.
COVID directly impacts both the learning environment and everyone in the school, leading to empty seats and absent teachers and staff. With that in mind, senior students Jared Cotton and Zoie Brown said they love the idea of weekly COVID testing.
“Being locked up in my room during quarantine made me very depressed. Now that we’re all back, I’m okay,” said Cotton.
Cotton and Brown both said that they would participate in the weekly testing if needed.
“I think we should continue testing. It would make the situation better as a whole,” Brown said.
Cotton and Brown were some of the many who were not aware of the weekly testing. However, now that they are aware of this occasion, they are supportive of the idea.
Art teacher Courtney Bath agrees.
“I think the weekly COVID testing should be done nationwide,” Bath said, “ just because there are so many people packed in one place at one time.”
All in all, Bath thinks it’s a good idea, especially for students or staff who present symptoms.
“I think that maybe there will be an increase in cases, especially because people can carry COVID and not have symptoms,” said Bath.
Nevertheless, the Howard community has mixed opinions about the weekly testing. Some students and staff don’t think this is necessarily the way to go about addressing the rising COVID cases.
Howard High School’s 2020–2021 teacher of the year Dr. Susan George said she thinks there are better ways to cope with COVID.
“I don’t feel that anyone should get tested unless they have symptoms so that we don’t waste tests on healthy people,” said Dr. George.
As of right now, weekly COVID testing will continue taking place indefinitely.
Testing is completely voluntary and free to all who choose to sign up and participate.
