The City of Brooks funded mass testing for COVID-19 on asymptomatic residents and believes that helped to reduce the rate of new infections. Drive-thru testing took place on two occasions with no appointment necessary and thousands participated.--SUBMITTED PHOTO
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After an initial surge in COVID-19 numbers in Brooks the numbers are now stable, and its mayor attributes that to large-scale drive-thru testing, which the city funded itself.
Mayor Barry Morishita says Brooks was the first community to have testing on a grand scale, with roughly 3,500 asymptomatic individuals initially tested.
“That was one of the big turning points,” said Morishita. “Out of that clinic we had near 10 per cent test positive that were asymptomatic.”
It gave the community an understanding of how many residents were unknowingly spreading the virus.
“I don’t think they quite understood where we were up to that point,” said Morishita. “I think there was a false sense of security that we were going to be just fine.”
It was back in the middle of April when, suddenly, Brooks had about 100 cases. By May 5, there were more than 1,000, and 1,117 by the first week of June. There were just two more positive cases over the next month, and Brooks now sits at 1,123 since the pandemic began.
In order to get the mass testing of asymptomatic testing done, the City of Brooks had to pick up the bill.
The total cost for the two testing centres – one in April and another in May – was $107,557.
“Looking back I think this (type of testing) should have been offered all over the place,” said Morishita.
He believes the large number of people participating in the mass testing was in part because it was open to anyone – including those without symptoms – and there was no need for an appointment. It was a drive-thru setup for testing so people felt there was a degree of anonymity while sitting in their vehicle.
While the testing was taking place there was a concerted effort to provide education about COVID-19 to the population in multiple languages. The City of Brooks also began making places available for those who needed to isolate but would have had difficulty doing so in their own homes. Contact tracing was also ramped up.
“All of those … things I think really raised awareness to a high degree,” said Morishita.
A second round of testing followed two weeks later with about 2,000 people. The number of positives dropped to less than one per cent, which was more in line with the rest of the province, he said.
Herd immunity could also be playing a part at this stage.
The population of Brooks is 15,000 and more than 1,100 have been confirmed as having the COVID-19 virus. There may be others who have had it but were never tested.
“It is difficult to have an outbreak now because we have so many blocks,” said Morishita. “We are probably the safest place in North America to be right now.”
Alberta Health was asked for comment on the current stabilization in Brooks regarding COVID but felt the community was in a better position to respond.
“Our advice to those in Brooks and all Albertans is to continue closely following the public health measures in every facet of their lives,” said a spokesperson. There is also not enough evidence to show how long someone who has had COVID is protected from getting it again.
