There have several areas of the state that have had a dearth of COVID testing opportunities because community testing has been lacking or absent. Examples tend to be in areas with lower average incomes like in Maryvale and South Phoenix. Looks like those areas will be getting some relief.
Last week the ASU Biodesign Institute and the ADHS sealed an agreement which will provide free saliva diagnostic testing in high-need under-served communities around the state. The testing began yesterday in the West Valley. The tests are by appointment only, which can be scheduled by visiting azhealth.gov/testing.
ADHS will be paying ASU up to $12M to fund the initiative. They’ll be using the new test procedure developed by ASU’s Biodesign Institute a few months ago. It’s the first saliva-based test in the state. They’ve been using it over the past several weeks to test critical workforce including healthcare workers, first responders, and infrastructure personnel. ASU is also using the saliva-based test with employees and students.
ASU’s turn around time is less than 2 days- so that’s an added bonus for these communities!
