MOUNDSVILLE -- The families of Marshall County Schools students and employees can get tested for, and inoculated against, COVID-19 free of charge every weekday through this school year, thanks to a grant through the state Department of Health and Human Resources.
From 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. Monday through Friday, free testing and vaccinations will be available at the Marshall County Health Department, administered by a nurse hired through the grant. Some people had reportedly balked at the cost of a test, which could reach above $50, according to superintendent Shelby Haines.
Karen Klamut, student services director for the district, said they appreciated the opportunity, and also their strong partnership with the health department.
"We already have such a great partnership with the Marshall County Health Department, so we decided to employ a nurse to work here daily with the health department, testing and vaccinating Marshall County students," Klamut said.
She added that the daily tests would enable a student with suspected symptoms to get a rapid test before deciding to attend school. Rapid tests that indicate a positive result are sent to Roxby Labs for a full, PCR test for confirmation.
"We do know the burden of having that test done and the cost, when you're isolated from school or quarantined because you're a contact, so it also creates the opportunity for a student to get tested instead of waiting for a community event that might be once or twice a week," Klamut said.
"We think this is a great opportunity to provide this service on a daily basis to the students of Marshall County."
Klamut added that she hopes the increased availability to families will encourage them to get tested quickly, and to get vaccinated promptly, rather than waiting for an opportunity.
Health department administrator Tom Cook said the addition of the nurse to handle testing and vaccinations during weekday mornings would help lessen strain on the department staff. This program comes as cases in Marshall County are on the rise, which Cook suspects may belie even more cases which go undetected.
"It will alleviate a little bit of the stress that's on our clinical staff," he said. "… I think we have a lot more cases, that are the delta variant, than are being reported right now. It takes a while to come back.
"I do believe we're going to see spikes, I think we'll see spikes for eight or nine more weeks before we start to level off," he continued. "We ramped up testing at the health department, besides school testing."