Reno County health officials plead for expanded testing to help keep schools open

Karen Hammersmith reported the county's most recent COVID numbers to the commission, saying, "We have 133 active cases as of this morning with 6 clusters. We've had 1 fatality," and laid out steps county staff are pursuing to increase testing and public outreach.

County commissioners heard that Reno County has tested 6,815 people with 747 positive results and 6,068 negatives (613 recoveries reported). Hammersmith said the county's community positive-test rate is about 7.1%, and the countywide positive-test rate (including congregate settings) is roughly 10.96%. She told commissioners the health department is exploring community screening programs and seeking funds to start broader testing (targeting late September–early October if grants or other funds are secured).

The context: public-health staff and local clinicians said expanded, screening-style testing that includes asymptomatic people can drive down the measured positive rate and give school officials more confidence to reopen. "I truly think if we can grow our testing in more of a screening type capacity, we will see less than 5 percent positive test rate," said a physician from Hutch clinics, who described symptomatic-patient positive rates between about 10% and 16% earlier in the summer but said those numbers had recently moved toward 10%.

Emergency-management director Adam Wise told the commission the health department has applied for a competitive community-testing grant and has studied other counties' models, but warned that supply shortages and lab capacity have limited how quickly community testing can be stood up. Randy Partington, speaking for county administration, said the county could consider reallocating local funds to accelerate testing but that any moves depend on state approval of the county's grant application and the size of the award.

Commissioners debated the effect of mandatory masking on measured case trends. Commissioner Hurst said the board should "take a serious look" at whether mask rules are driving changes in the local positive rate or whether other behaviors such as distancing and hand hygiene are the dominant factors. Dr. Polley, the clinic physician, responded that masks and other hygiene changes act together and described both statistical and anecdotal reasons to support masks for reducing spread.

What happens next: staff said they will await the state's review of the county's grant application, pursue funding options if needed, and work on community outreach and physician messaging to explain the risks and the county's testing strategy. No regulatory changes or new mandates were adopted at the meeting; the discussion focused on outreach, funding and operational steps to expand testing.