(KNSI) – Minnesota is updating its in-school COVID-19 testing program to provide more flexibility for public, private, tribal and charter schools that will soon welcome students back into the classroom amid an uptick in new COVID-19 cases.
The no-fee opportunity for in-school testing from the Minnesota Department of Health and Minnesota Department of Education allows local districts to choose the kinds of COVID tests (like nasal swabs, saliva tests or rapid antigen tests) that best suit their needs.
“This builds on our first-in-the-nation statewide in-school testing program that we launched last year and includes more options for local schools so they can choose the best test for their community based on each school’s individual needs,” said Education Commissioner Dr. Heather Mueller.
MDE and MDH will also offer grants to schools to pay for in-school testing supplies and support. Though the statewide testing program is available to all schools, Mueller says there’s no guarantee every school building in the state will offer on-site, regular testing.
“We know that our school leaders will be making decisions about whether or not there will be options available to their school community and their students and families,” Mueller said.
The current recommendation is that unvaccinated students and school staff get tested for COVID once a week, and more often if they are involved with sports or other extracurriculars. Vaccinated individuals should get tested if they have COVID symptoms.
MDH Commissioner Jan Malcolm says the state will work to adjust its COVID testing capacity to a potential back-to-school surge in testing demand.
“I think, having made those recommendations both at the national level and at the state level, it’s incumbent on us to keep working with the testing supply community to make sure that the supply does keep pace with the demand,” Malcolm said.
The state’s refinements to its in-school COVID testing efforts come as new COVID cases in the state remain relatively high compared to earlier this summer. Citing data from the American Academy of Pediatrics, Malcolm says more than 121,000 children tested positive for COVID across the country in the week ending August 12th, “which is a very worry number in one week.”
“Children have accounted for 14.4 percent of total COVID cases cumulatively throughout the pandemic,” Malcolm added. “But for the week ending August 12th, that figure was at 18 percent of all cases in that week.”
While state health officials say the recent rise in cases has prompted an increase in first COVID vaccine doses given to Minnesotans, especially 12-to-17-year-olds, many children are still vulnerable to COVID because they cannot get vaccinated against it yet. Malcolm says COVID-19 testing, along with masking and social distancing, is an important tool for school communities.
“It bears saying that the best thing we can do to protect our kids’ in-person learning options and chances for success are getting people vaccinated as soon as possible,” Malcolm said. “That’s just critical for the school year, it’s critical for our long-term success against COVID-19.”
On Tuesday, MDH confirmed 3,054 new COVID cases in Minnesota discovered over Saturday, Sunday and Monday this week, plus three new deaths from the disease. The three-day case count includes 281 cases found in the five-county St. Cloud area. As for vaccinations, so far more than 3.2 million Minnesotans have received at least one dose of the vaccine, with more than 3 million now fully vaccinated. For the youngest Minnesotans who will return to school in the coming weeks, 47 percent of the state’s 12-to-15-year-olds have gotten their first dose, as have 56 percent of 16- and 17-year-olds.
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