We are elated to be a part of Say Yes! to Covid Test Initiative.
Read more about this project below:
“Participating households in Greenville, Pitt County, NC will receive free month-long supplies of rapid tests aimed at reducing community transmission of COVID-19. UNC School of Medicine’s Giselle Corbie-Smith, MD, and Duke colleagues will conduct research to test effectiveness of the program.”
Read more HERE:
From the NIH news release:
“The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in collaboration with the National Institutes of Health (NIH), has launched an innovative community health initiative called “Say Yes! COVID Test” starting in Pitt County, North Carolina, and coming soon to Chattanooga/Hamilton County, Tennessee. As many as 160,000 residents across the two communities will have access to free, rapid antigen tests that they can administer themselves to use three times a week for one month. NIH will provide the tests (also called a home-test or at-home test) and evaluate the effectiveness of the initiative, which aims to determine if frequent self-administered COVID-19 testing helps residents reduce community transmission of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19 disease.”
To read the entire new release, click HERE.
PROJECT UPDATE:
It has been a month since Say Yes! COVID Test launched in Pitt County. Below are several news stories and bullet pointed updated.
CCPH on the front-line to mitigate COVID19.
The Say Yes to COVID Test initiative was launched in Greenville, NC, and Chattanooga, TN to provide 80,000 free at-home testing kits to households. CCPH leads the community engagement activities for this pilot project. Our work includes the recruitment of community-based organizations, churches, and civic groups as direct distribution sites for the kits.
A big thank-you is extended to over 50 local groups that have joined CCPH to mitigate the spread of the virus.
Here are selects photos from our Say Yes! COVID Test locations.
Please visit our Facebook page for more photos of Pitt County and Chatanooga events.
Say Yes! COVID Test in the news:
CBS national segment aired 4/26:
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/covid-19-vaccine-test-pitt-county-north-carolina-tennessee-cdc/
NBC written story posted 4/26: https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/can-regular-home-testing-slow-spread-covid-one-n-c-n1265093
Washington Post story posted 4/28: https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2021/04/28/new-coronavirus-testing-strategy-home-kits/
Test Distribution:
– Over 15,000 kits have been distributed in Pitt County
– Will begin peer-to-peer distribution – allowing 1 additional kit to be ordered/picked up to distribute to friends/family/etc.
Chattanooga/Hamilton County:
– Soft launch began last week
– Press Conference: May 4th at 1PM and will be livestreamed on YouTube
– Over 5,000 kits have been ordered by community partners
Pitt County:
– Initiating expansion phase to engage additional community partners
– Many initial community partners are interested in continuing to support efforts
Community Engagement:
– Now have a distribution site at East Carolina University for students, faculty, and staff
– Planning a kit distribution event at the mall in Chattanooga
– Faith leaders in Pitt and Hamilton Counties met Thursday night to discuss successes and lessons learned from Pitt County
– Planning to have kits distributed to Hamilton County school personnel and will publicize campaign through the schools’ social media platforms
More Resources:
The Say Yes! Covid Test General Website is HERE.
To find out more about Pitt Country specifically, click HERE. or follow them on Twitter HERE.
To learn more about the research study click HERE.
A little about the project from the UNC Health and UNC School of Medicine
