June 22 and 23 the Mineral County Health Department conducted drive-thru testing for COVID-19 at four different locations in the area. Last Monday testing sites were held in St. Regis and Deborgia, and on Tuesday, Alberton and Superior both had drive-through testing spots available.

From all four testing sites, and over the course of the two days 412 tests were completed.

Mineral County was designated by the state as a Gateway Community for tourism, which increases potential exposure of COVID-19 to ther community. The Governor’s Office, Department of Public Health and Human Services, Montana Disaster and Emergency Services, Montana National Guard, and the Montana Department of Commerce all partnered together with the Mineral County Health Department, Mineral Disaster and Emergency Services, and the Mineral Community Hospital to provide asymptomatic community snapshot testing.

With the county being considered a Gateway Community, local front-line workers and first responders are at a higher risk of exposure to travelers coming through who may have COVID-19. Part of the population are considered “asymptomatic carriers”, which means they carry and expose others to COVID-19 without ever having symptoms.

Amy Lommen is a Community Health Specialist with the Mineral County Health Department. She explained the importance of identifying the disease’s spread in relation to our local businesses. “This is vital to keeping our economy going during these trying times. It would be devastating to any businesses in our county to have a worker exposed and then unknowingly expose others to the virus. This is why the Department of Commerce was involved in the planning of asymptomatic testing; they understand how vital early detection is for keeping our economy going and our community safe.”

Lommen noted that Montana has been very fortunate to have so few cases, but the health department expects case counts to increase. This is because testing availability is increasing across the state. With more testing, inevitably there will be more positives. With an upturn in summer gatherings and event numbers this could also see a rise in cases. And ultimately travel to and from areas that might have community outbreak, are occurring more as travel restrictions are easing.

“It is not the goal of public health to continue to have zero cases. While that is the best-case scenario, it just isn’t the reality of the situation,” Lommen said.

The Mineral County Health Department operated with Local Disaster and Emergency Services Coordinators and the Mineral Community Hospital to organize the testing events. The county health department requested assistance from the Montana National Guard and they provided traffic control, administrative assistance, site management, and served as a courier service.

Lommen shared, “We certainly could not have provided this opportunity without all of the coordination provided by the Guard. Local volunteer firefighters in St. Regis also helped with traffic control.”

The testing effort was intended for Mineral County residents. Many people who live in other counties and states but are employed in the county were also encouraged to come get tested. The drive through testing events were intended for those who did not exhibit any symptoms.

However, a handful of individuals that came for testing on those days with symptoms were referred to go see an acute healthcare provider. Lommen detailed, “Tests for symptomatic people are a higher priority for the state lab, and therefore are run before asymptomatic tests. Those who are sick also need specific instructions on self-isolation/quarantine until lab results have been received.”

An important part of monitoring the spread of COVID-19 is detecting cases and contacts early which can significantly reduce spread, and this allows local healthcare facilities to meet the demand for acute care to treat those most seriously impacted by the disease.

At the testing events Lommen said, “Community members were very thankful these services were provided. Testing has only been available to people who have had symptoms, so I think this will put some people at ease just knowing there will be more access to widespread testing.”

It was reported that the lines moved quickly at each of the testing sites. Lommen shared, “A general consensus was that people weren’t there because they were worried about themselves, but genuinely wanted to make sure they were not asymptomatically infected and risk exposing their loved ones that are high risk.”

Koltan Plouffe works at Lucky Lils’ in Superior, and on a daily basis she is around a number of different people. She said she got the test done for those she is in contact with at work, but also for the safety of her son. Plouffe said, “I was very impressed they had the lines moving fast, just a little paper work to fill out. [They] told you how to use the swab, you swabbed it yourself, they took it put it in the tube. And they said you would know in a week or so. I’m glad I did it.”

Several participants also had interest in the antibody tests, so the health department is exploring that option for Mineral County. These tests are available if ordered through private labs, but they are not free. The state is planning on offering them soon, however a positive antibody test result does not correlate to having an immunity to COVID-19. Research is showing that just like the yearly flu, the virus can mutate and people are at risk of being re-infected.

Superior resident Tamera Clemts participated in the Snapshot event. She shared, “I did the testing for lots of personal reasons, the most important is because I manage apartments that house seniors and people with health issues, I also work at the food bank. I’m just doing my small part to make my new home safe, and it’s the right thing to do.”

Lommen stated, “The best way to protect each other is to continue practicing social distancing, wear face coverings in areas where social distancing cannot be maintained, increase hand washing, avoiding touching your face, and keep the circle of people you are in close contact with small.”

The Mineral County Health Department intends to provide asymptomatic testing intermittently to keep assessing frontline workers. They will also continue to work alongside local businesses and community members to offer outreach and education. The health department can be reached at 406-822-3564 with any questions.

“Mineral County community members are in control of how much or how little this virus will have an impact on the health and economy of our county. We will rely heavily on the assistance of neighboring counties should we experience hospitalizations due to COVID-19,” expressed Lommen.

Test results from the snapshot testing event should be available approximately one week from the date of collection. The health department will contact everyone and let them know what their results were, whether positive or negative. At this time the breakdown of numbers including those tested from out of the county, and data from each town is not yet known.

On the Mineral County Health Department’s Facebook page each day an update is posted of number of test results received, those pending, and confirmed positives. These numbers do not include the tests collected in the snapshot testing program for asymptomatic people. As of June 26, the department had received 175 tests, and has 0 confirmed cases.