麻州要把每日檢測人數提升至45,000

麻州州長查理貝克匯報疫情進展。

(Boston Orange 編譯)麻州州長查理貝克(Charlie Baker)曾表示，終有一日將檢測全州每一個州民。今(14)日他提出具體的新型冠狀病毒(COVID-19)每日檢測目標，先從目前的3萬增至4萬5000，到12月底時，再增至每日檢測7萬人。

貝克政府表示，4月24日時，麻州議會已通過議案，要取得增加新型冠狀病毒檢測能量的資源，州政府將於本月份內向聯邦政府提出增加檢測量的計畫，希望到7月底時，可每日檢測45,000人，然後到12月底時可以每日檢測75,000人，確診率降低到5%以下。

麻州新型冠狀病毒相關數據。

檢測將先以人口密集的高危區，例如醫院，團體家屋，以及有症狀，或是和有症狀者有過接觸的人為優先對象，然後再隨機抽樣檢測。

查理貝克今日還宣佈，在早前宣佈的羅爾市地點外，增加10個CVS藥店的駕車經過檢測站，容許人們不必花錢的檢測，並在2到3天內拿到結果。CVS計畫在全美推出1000個這樣的檢測站。符合檢測標準的人可先到CVS.com網站登記，預約5月15日起的檢測時間。

從4月20日迄今，麻州政府已送出750萬件個人防護用品給第一線工作人員，其中包括6百萬個醫用及一般用口罩，80萬拭子，約40萬套裝，12萬5000罩袍。州長辦公室在新聞高中表示，州政府感謝協助取得並運送這些個人防護用品物資的各個夥伴，包括中國駐紐約總領事館總領事黃屏，以及OCEANAIR和達美航空(Delta)。

麻州今日的新型冠狀病毒數據為新增確診人數1,685，累計82,182，新增死亡人數167，累計5,482。住在重症病房的有3%。已接受檢測總人數達到424,361。

Baker-Polito Administration Provides Update on COVID-19 Testing Capacity and Strategy, PPE Procurement

BOSTON – Today, the Baker-Polito Administration announced expanded COVID-19 testing capacity and strategy, and provided an update on personal protective equipment (PPE) procurement.

Testing Plan: As required to secure COVID-19 testing resources allocated in legislation passed by Congress on April 24, the Administration will submit its plan to expand testing to the federal government this month.

The plan builds on previously expanded testing criteria, and calls for the following:

• Boost overall testing capacity to 45,000 daily tests by the end of July, and 75,000 daily tests by the end of December, with the goal of decreasing positivity rate to less than 5 percent.

• Lab processing capacity is also planned to expand, enabling preparedness for a potential testing surge in the fall.

• Testing expansion for residents and patients in high-risk congregate settings like state hospitals, group homes and correctional facilities will continue, and the Administration will ensure testing for individuals who are symptomatic, close contacts of confirmed COVID-19 cases or whose employment places them at a high risk.

• Randomized testing for surveillance purposes to build on the Community Tracing Collaborative’s contact tracing efforts.

• Improved turnaround time of testing to provide same-day or next-day results.

When implementing the new testing proposed in this plan, communities with low testing availability, hotspots with high positive rates and high density areas will be the priorities.

Click here to view today’s testing presentation from the press conference.

CVS Testing Sites: The Baker-Polito Administration and CVS today announced the expansion of self-swab and send testing sites at 10 select CVS Pharmacy drive-thru locations throughout the Commonwealth, which will enable on-the-spot COVID-19 testing at no cost, with results available in 2-3 days.

CVS has served as an early partner in Massachusetts’ efforts to expand testing, and these new testing sites build upon the previously announced location in Lowell. These new sites are part of CVS’s first rollout of its national testing expansion program, with a goal of 1,000 testing sites across the country.

The drive-thru CVS testing sites include:

• Charlton

• Worcester

• Raynham

• Northampton

• Bridgewater

• Carver

• West Springfield

• Danvers

• Westport

• Wellesley

Individuals who meet testing criteria may register in advance at CVS.com beginning Friday, May 15 to schedule an appointment.

PPE Procurement: The Baker-Polito Administration continues to work to acquire personal protective equipment (PPE) to support frontline workers battling COVID-19. Today, the Administration highlighted the delivery of over 7.5 million pieces of PPE and supplies to be delivered to front-line workers throughout the Commonwealth.

From April 20 through this past weekend, this equipment has been brought to Massachusetts through six different chartered flights. The PPE includes over 6 million surgical and procedural masks, about 800,000 swabs, nearly 400,000 coveralls and  over 125,000 gowns. The Administration is grateful to the various partners who helped secure and deliver this PPE, including the Chinese Consul General in New York, Huang Ping, OCEANAIR and Delta Airlines. 

Baker-Polito Administration Provides Update on COVID-19 Testing Capacity and Strategy, PPE Procurement