Hinckley, Minnesota’s Role in the COVID-19 Testing Center
Houston, Texas is the latest U.S. city to detect the U.K. variant of COVID-19 in 31 of the city’s 39 wastewater treatment plants. The Houston Health Department has been testing the city’s wastewater since May 2020 to quickly identify outbreaks in certain locations.
Houston isn’t the only city to adopt this type of testing.
PeopleService client city Hinckley, Minnesota has set up their own site and has been testing since October 2020. Partnering with the University of Minnesota Duluth, the PeopleService team sample the area’s wastewater once a month and send it to the University. PeopleService Operator Jim Milano is excited about what the study means for keeping his community safe.
Regardless of symptoms, people who have COVID-19 show the virus in their feces. Once the PeopleService team tests and receives the results, they are able to identify locations that might be at risk and can try to stop a potential outbreak and save lives.
So how were Jim and the City of Hinckley chosen to be the testing site? “I think it was a no-brainer,” said Jim. “The University contacted us and we said yes.” Jim believes that this kind of information and insight is important for the health and safety of his community. All of us at PeopleService are honored to be involved in this meaningful study.