RI’s Coronavirus Testing Is Collapsing, Leaving Exposure to Potential Future Outbreaks
Monday, May 24, 2021
Rhode Island’s testing for the coronavirus has fallen by nearly 50%.
Colleges and universities in Rhode Island were able to avoid outbreaks of the coronavirus much of the past year due to extensive weekly testing — at Brown University students were required to undergo testing twice weekly. Similar testing protocols were implemented across campuses in RI.
“Testing’s been an important part of our overall strategy, [along with] the public health campaign we’ve had on campus, and the de-densified population — we’ve changed to a three-term model rather than our two academic semesters, which has allowed us to spread students out over the fall, spring, and summer,” said Brown Executive Vice President Russell Carey told GoLocal in November. “All of those things, in particular the behavior of our community to follow public health guidance and to really take it seriously, has contributed so far to what has been quite successful.”
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTBut for Rhode Island, the state’s testing program -- touted as the bright spot in the response to the pandemic -- has collapsed. Rhode Island ranks second for the most cases per capita and fourth for death in the United States.
Rhode Island is the only state to rank in the top five in both categories
A GoLocal review shows that week over week, the number of tests conducted in Rhode Island has fallen by 47% at a time when public health experts warn that testing may be more important than ever before to protect the reopening and to avoid potential hot spots are surges.
In the last week of January under Governor Gina Raimondo, more than 130,000 Rhode Islanders were tested. The week ending May 14, the most recent week of full data, shows that testing has fallen to just 68,000.
GoLocal interviewed Dr. Michael Fine and he outlines that there is much good news in the coronavirus numbers in Rhode Island, but does give a warning -- specifically, the need for the state to increase testing to be able to identify outbreaks early and avoid any future significant spread. Fine says tests are "an early detection system to prevent outbreaks" that would then force the re-implementation of restrictions.
"Testing should be increasing now, not decreasing," said Fine.
Related Articles
- RI Lifts Some Coronavirus Restrictions as Contagious Variants Come to U.S.
- Highly Contagious South African Coronavirus Variant Found in South Carolina
- Shelter-in-Place Ordered for Salve Regina Community Following 30+ Coronavirus Cases in 7 Days
- New Coronavirus Mutation Is Both More Deadly and More Contagious - Nick Landekic
- Warwick, Central Falls Bars Hit With $1,700 in Coronavirus Citations
- First Case of Brazilian Strain of Coronavirus Detected in U.S.
- New Asymptomatic Coronavirus Testing Site to Open in Warwick
- McKee on RI’s Projected Half-Billion Dollar Budget Deficit, Coronavirus Response, Marijuana
- More Than 2,000 Rhode Islanders Have Now Died From Coronavirus
- RI Doctor Found to Have Recklessly Exposed Patients, Staff to Coronavirus - Has License Suspended
- MA Dept. of Public Health Announces First Case of More Contagious UK Strain of Coronavirus
- UPDATED: PC Announces New Coronavirus Restrictions As Cases Increase
- RI Reports 90 New Coronavirus Deaths — Raising Questions About RIDOH Data
- U.S. Poised to Approve 4th Coronavirus Vaccine - AstraZeneca
- McKee Rolls Back More Restrictions As Coronavirus Cases Continue to Increase
- RI Now 2nd Highest in U.S. for Coronavirus Cases Per 100K, Worries Growing About NY Strain
- Biden is Threading a Needle and Walking a Fine Line With Coronavirus: UVA’s Lawless LIVE
- Rhode Island on Verge of Third Coronavirus Wave
- It’s Clear It’s Still Dangerous: Italy’s Coronavirus Cases Nearly Double in Last Month
- McKee Announces Rollback of More Coronavirus Restrictions, Dr. Fine Warns It Is Too Early
- RI Jumps to 3rd Highest Coronavirus Death Rate Per Capita, 50% Higher Than U.S. Average
- Groundbreaking Nanotech by RI Company Neutralizes 100% of Coronavirus in Under 1 Minute, Finds Brown
- McKee Finds Rhode Island at Crossroads in Battle Against Coronavirus
- RI’s Coronavirus Reality and Raimondo’s National PR — How RI Lost the War — A GoLocal Film
- Why This Coronavirus Increase Is Different As Variants Pull Ahead - Landekic
- FDA Finds Johnson & Johnson Single Dose COVID Vaccine Safe and Effective
- Raimondo Makes Last Minute Appointment, Names New Head of COVID Response, McKee Not Informed
- House Passes $1.9 Trillion COVID Relief Package
- The Covid Relief Act Is the Beginning of the Progressive Era – Gary Sasse
- COVID Hits RI High School Hockey D-I Championship
- RI Identifies Multiple Cases of More Deadly and Contagious U.K. COVID-19 Variant
- COVID is Here to Stay - Nick Landekic
- Johnson & Johnson Says One-Shot Vaccine is 66% Effective Against Moderate to Severe COVID
- McKee Announces Transition COVID-19 Group Co-Chaired by CharterCARE Physician & Mayor Polisena
- COVID-19 in Rhode Island Is Worse Than You Think - Nick Landekic
- RI Business Group on Health Urges Employers to Join Crush COVID Challenge - LIVE
- McKee Announces Plan to Get COVID-19 Vaccinations to All RI Teachers, School Staff by End of Month
- Fit for Life: COVID Hit Us……Good!
- RI’s COVID-Related Hospitalizations Jump By 20, Testing Inconsistent
- RI Jumps to 2nd Most Infected State U.S., 78% of COVID Cases Tied to Variants
- “Defacing Postal Property is Illegal” - USPS Mailbox Tagged With Required RI COVID Testing Stickers
- 76% of COVID Cases in RI Now Due to Variants – and Vaccines Alone Might Not Protect Us
- 7 Things You Probably Didn’t Know About New COVID Variants in RI
- RI Dad Battles COVID As Daughter Gets Into Harvard - He Now Fights to Keep His Businesses Alive
- Federal Hill Restaurateur Battling “Severe COVID”—Fundraiser Nears $20,000
- COVID Vaccine “100%” Effective in Kids 12-15, Says Pfizer
- RI Covid Cases Spiking: “If We are Serious About Our Economy Let’s Put This to Bed,” Says Fine
- COVID-19 Relief Bills Offer Dependent Care FSA Flexibility
- RI COVID Cases Continue to Climb, New Research Points to Devastating Long-Term Impacts to Infected
- Variant Fueling India’s COVID Catastrophe Is Now a Major Threat to RI - Landekic
- Can We Vaccinate at Least 90% of the RI 65 & Older Population by May 4th?
- RI Expands Vaccine Eligibility to 50-Year-Olds Starting April 5, Will State’s Website Perform?
- Vaccine Frustration—and No Easter Processions: LIVE From Bolzano, Italy
- NEW: CDC Issues Guidance on Travel for Fully Vaccinated People
- No Penalties for Letting Board Members Jump Vaccine Line: Inaction by Neronha Against CNE & Lifespan
- U.S. Says AstraZeneca Has Submitted Outdated Data — J&J May Miss Vaccine Delivery Dates
- 1,800 RI Vaccine Appointments Opening Up at 9 A.M. on Tuesday for Eligible Rhode Islanders
- Baker Announces All MA Residents 16+ Can Be Vaccinated Starting April 9 — 3 Months Before RI
- McKee Moves Up Eligibility Date for 16 and Up for Vaccines, But Major RIDOH Problems Continue
- Virus Variant Can Defeat Vaccine, RI Now 3rd Highest Infection Rate in U.S. - Landekic
- FDA and CDC “Pause” Johnson & Johnson Vaccine
- Fully Vaccinated People Don’t Need to Wear Masks Outside, Says CDC
- Vaccine Reluctance – Dr. Ed Iannuccilli
- Hundreds of Colleges Requiring Students to Be Vaccinated - McKee Refuses to Mandate
- CVS & Walgreens Have Wasted Nearly 130,000 Vaccine Doses, According to Report
- Vaccine Hesitancy Remains a Problem - Rob Horowitz
- Americans Can Travel to Europe This Summer — If Vaccinated, Says EU Head
- One RI Mayor Is Going House by House to Convince Residents to Get Vaccinated But Some Are Resistant
- 5 Major Developments in Vaccination Program
- European Union: Johnson & Johnson Vaccine’s Benefits Outweigh Issues
- Rhode Island Has a New Vaccination Problem — Not Enough Are Signing Up
- Fully Vaccinated People Don’t Have to Wear Masks Indoors, Says CDC
