Disturbing Coronavirus Trends Now Hitting Rhode Island

Monday, July 20, 2020

GoLocalProv News Team

 

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Governor Gina Raimondo

The trends in Rhode Island are worrisome. 

For more than a month, Rhode Island had not seen a day of more than 77 new cases of the coronavirus. 

This week, cases began to move upward. On Monday, the number of daily new cases jumped to 111 cases — the highest number of new cases since June 4.

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On Saturday, Central Falls officials warned that they are seeing a significant spike of new cases. Central Falls has been one of the hottest-of-hot-spots in the United States. Approximately 5% of Central Falls residents have tested positive — 188% higher than the Rhode Island state average of 1.7%.

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“We are seeing a quadrupling of positive cases in the last few days, although it was associated with a huge increase with the demand for testing at the Dexter Street site,” said Chief Health Strategist for the City of Central Falls, Dr. Michael Fine.

“The percentage test positive has doubled.  This suggests vigorous community spread in the city and close by communities,” said Fine, who is the former Rhode Island Director of Health and appears each weekday on GoLocal LIVE.

 

Everyone From Nursing Homes to Parents Are Criticizing RI’s Testing Program

This week, the RI Health Care Association -- the trade group for RI’s nursing home administrators -- lashed out at the Governor Gina Raimondo’s administration for the failure to provide timely testing -- and results. 

To date, 80 percent of all of Rhode Island's coronavirus deaths are linked to nursing homes. State officials report 988 deaths to date -- giving Rhode Island the 5th most death per 100,000 residents.

“Today we are sounding the alarm that the lack of timely test results in our homes is causing harm to our residents and workers.  Accurate and rapid testing is a necessity in coping with and managing this virus in our nursing homes and so far, we have been left to guess at where COVID-19 lies,”  RIHCA President and CEO Scott Fraser.  “RI’s nursing homes must have rapid responses to keep our residents and workers safe. This is truly a matter of protecting lives.”

GoLocal recently reported that daily testing has fallen in Rhode Island from 4,000 testings to about 3,000.

On Wednesday, Raimondo and Dr. Alexander Scott of the Department of Health said that the state is "laser-focused" on correcting issues with the testing program.

This week the Department of Health also disclosed that more than 100 Rhode Islanders were told that they had tested positive for the virus when in fact, those individuals had not contracted the disease.

On Saturday, GoLocal published a feature store outlining the frustration of one mother who has waited days to get the test result for her 9-year-old -- and is questioning the efficacy of the state's testing program if results are taking nearly a week, in light of schools slated to return in the fall. 

Barrington resident Kate Sander said her daughter was tested on Monday — and after being told the results would take three to five days, she was then informed the results will likely now be 6-7 days.

“She’s doing OK,” said Sander of her daughter, who she says her symptoms also included headache and eye pain. “She got sick on Sunday. We were in Little Compton at my parents' house — they’re 75 and 76. She asked for a blanket on the couch, and when I touched her forehead, she was burning up.”

Quicker Testing Turnaround Time Needed

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A report released this week by the Rockefeller Foundation found that test results need to be delivered within two days. “…turnaround time of less than 48 hours, and ideally less than 24 hours. We are approaching this level of testing, but with delays in access and processing that are far too long. “

“An effective testing strategy will require the country to ramp up to where it can administer at least five million diagnostic tests and 25 million screening tests a week within three months, with the acknowledgment that we will need still more than that. This must be combined with rigorous and extensive contact tracing and supported isolation,” wrote the Rockefeller report.

“Getting to the goal of at least 30 million weekly tests, with the majority of those being screening tests, is the only way to beat back Covid-19. If professional baseball and basketball players can get routine tests, so should our teachers, students, essential workers, nurses and bus drivers – every American, free of charge. Investing in the creation, delivery, and administering of these tests will be far cheaper for the nation than the incalculable fiscal and social costs of another economic shutdown,” found the Rockefeller report.

Raimondo had promised to have a state testing program to achieve 20,000 tests a day implemented by the end of September, but now has abandoned that program goal. 

 

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