In an interview with LaRae Kram, the Teacher’s Assistant for Brooke Malek (the nurse for Morris Area Schools) I sought information on the newly occurring Covid Saliva Testing Clinic. On Tuesday, January 5th, 2021, the first Covid Saliva Testing Clinic was held at Morris Area Elementary School in the Concert Hall. The purpose of the clinic is to provide the staff of both the high school and elementary school an opportunity to get tested free of charge in a safe and efficient manner. It’s held every other Tuesday at Morris Area Elementary School and every other Friday at St. Mary’s Elementary School. Testing is open to staff and is optional, not required.
At the first clinic held at Morris Elementary on January 5th, twenty-six out of one-hundred and eighty staff participated. The testing opportunity would “most likely not” extend to students in the near future, LaRae explains. The current setup allows for speedy testing and results; however, if students were to be allowed to enter as well, the process would take much longer. The test results would not come back as quickly, and frankly, the testing space just isn’t ideal for that many people.
When asked about the differences between saliva and nasal testing, LaRae stated that saliva tests are far more efficient than nasal swab tests. The saliva tests are classified as rapid tests, meaning the results come quickly; this helps move through people swiftly while also getting through more people in a shorter amount of time. The saliva tests are also self-administered, meaning the individual can do it themselves without the help of a trained medical professional: as opposed to the nasal swab tests. Because of this, it is easier to take social distancing precautions. Nasal swab tests also tend to be more painful and irritating than saliva tests; saliva tests only require the individual to spit into a cup, while nasal swab tests are inserted high into the nasal cavity to get a more accurate test result.
To register for a Covid-19 saliva test at one of the school’s locations, staff are asked to fill out a form and answer questions regarding any Covid-19 symptoms or exposures. The form can be found through an app or a website; the clinic is through a company called VAULT. For more information, you can contact the Saliva Clinic Coordinator Brooke Malek; her email is [email protected].
In other news, the Covid-19 vaccine was released to the public on December 11th, 2020, and people all over the world are receiving it; even here in our own school. School nurse Brooke Malek was one of the many healthcare workers to receive the vaccine. Since then, about fifty other staff members from the Morris Area Schools have received the first round of the vaccine, while fifteen are on the waiting list to do so. The official website USA Today estimates that about 6% of Americans have taken the first dose of the vaccine and approximately 1% have taken both doses. The website also describes that although the vaccine is open to the public, the people that are mainly targeted to receive the vaccine as of now are healthcare workers and elderly residents in care facilities. As advancements are made to attempt to defeat this virus, the most important thing to remember is to stay safe and spread kindness!