Salt Lake County Cancels COVID-19 Testing Events Targeting Hard-Hit Communities

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Just days into a free test initiative for hard-hit communities in Salt Lake County, the health department has run out of supplies and canceled the rest of the scheduled testing events.

The county launched the testing events to remove barriers for people in areas and populations disproportionately affected by COVID-19. Beginning last Thursday, health officials set up temporary testing sites where people in those targeted communities could come with or without symptoms and be tested at no cost.

“We’re just getting tested to make sure we don’t have anything,” said Isabella Ayala, who showed up at a scheduled testing event in Rose Park only to receive a voucher and instructions to go to a different location to be tested.

Five days into the initiative, the Salt Lake County Health Department said the response had been overwhelming.

Just days into @SaltLakeHealth’s free testing initiative targeting communities hit hardest by Covid-19, the response has been overwhelming and the county has canceled the rest of their testing events in order to restock on testing supplies. #ksltv pic.twitter.com/BLE7yhi9rp

— Matt Rascon (@MattRasconNews) June 24, 2020

What started with only 80 or so people the first day turned into nearly 450 people who waited in line in their cars for hours on Monday to be tested.

The large response prompted the county to cancel the remainder of its scheduled testing events just hours before Tuesday’s testing site was set to open.

The county ultimately provided 250 vouchers to people who didn’t get the message on Tuesday so they could still be tested. But they don’t anticipate offering the service again until after the July 4 holiday.

“A lot of the people that came to get tested told me that they had called the health dept in the morning and they had referred them here,” said Erika Alcantara, who works at the Community Health Center in Rose Park. “The first hour we gave out two hundred vouchers. It’s been very busy,”

The Salt Lake County Health Department tweeted, “Due to the overwhelming public response to our testing events targeting geographic areas and populations disproportionately affected by COVID-19, Salt Lake County Health Department must cancel the rest of the scheduled events.”

…in order to restock testing supplies. Our planning and logistical teams will also use this time to develop more efficient drive-thru operations to reduce wait times. We anticipate again offering no-cost testing to targeted communities after the Independence Day holiday. (2/2)

— Salt Lake Health (@SaltLakeHealth) June 23, 2020

In a recent memo to state leaders, state epidemiologist Dr. Angela Dunn said testing had plateaued in the state, meaning the recent spike in cases is not because of an increase in testing.

“It’s a little concerning. A little worrying,” said Ayala, who recently went back to work in the catering industry.

For people waiting to be tested for the coronavirus in Salt Lake County, the health department says there are still at least 17 regular testing sites in the county where you can get tested at no cost, with or without insurance.