Delaware Division of Public Health teaming up with pediatricians to get more COVID-19 testing for young people
DELAWARE – Delaware’s Division of Public Health is teaming up with pediatric centers and physicians across the state to get COVID-19 testing more available for young people and children. “By partnering with pediatric practices throughout the state we can get these tests into the hands of pediatricians and practitioners. We’re able to administer the tests to patients in need and immediately interpret the results and give proper direction to the patient,” said DPH Chief Physician Dr. Rick Pescatore.
The DPH says that the state is expecting to get about 290 thousand tests that can diagnose a COVID-19 infection within 15 minutes. Dr. Pescatore says including schools in the initiative is also key – because they can help identify what parts of the community’s young people need testing the most. “We know that asymptomatic transmission is an important mechanism for which this virus has continue to be a threat all over the nation. By getting testing for those students who are in school and students who are out of school as well, it’s an important population,” said Dr. Pescatore.
Plus, Dr. Pescatore says testing children and young people can protect the larger community as a whole. “Students who are in school and students who are out of school as well, it’s an important population. It’s an important population. It protects not only them, but it protects their families and their relatives. Every time we’re able to broaden access to testing we’re able to take another leap forward in the fight against COVID-19,” said Dr. Pescatore.
Dr. Pescatore tells 47ABC that the tests are being distributed throughout the state. The DPH approved some for the Georgetown area Friday morning. He adds that partnering with licensed medical practitioners like pediatricians is important. That’s because they have the knowledge and tools to interpret COVID-19 tests. Partnership and working alongside licensed medical practitioners is an incredibly important component of testing. Testing comes in in a lot of varieties now. We’re looking at a very heterogenous landscape and not all tests are the same. Many of them require the expertise of a licensed medical practitioner,” said Dr. Pescatore.
