A free Covid-19 testing program run by the South Huntington school district drew hundreds of participants, yielding a positivity rate of 7.8 percent, Dr. David Bennardo reported Sunday morning.
The program, which provides free testing to students, their families and staff, began running Saturday morning and continues Sunday and evenings this coming week.
On Saturday, 460 people were tested, with 230 students and 45 staff; the positivity rate was just under 3.5% for students, and 2.2 percent for staff.
“The bottom line is that it is still early in our district testing initiative and our intention is not to draw conclusions or debate the different interpretations of results,” Bennardo said. “Instead, we were able to alert 36 people to the fact that they are COVID positive, enabling them time to take necessary precautions. Additionally, we are gaining, and will continue to gain, data that helps us determine how to best keep our district operational and safe in the months going forward.”
Saturday’s tests were conducted at Whitman High School while Sunday’s tests are being done at Stimson middle school. Tests are conducted by HouseMD.
South Huntington to Offer Free Covid-19 Tests to Students, Staff