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COVID testing expanding to schools
Journal-Courier
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COVID-19 testing is being expanded to elementary schools across Illinois to help ensure a safe return to in-person learning next school year, the Illinois Department of Public Health said Wednesday.
Schools will be able to choose to provide tests, including a saliva-based test developed by the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Results will be available within 24 hours of the lab receiving the test.
The tests will be free to low-income districts; others will be offered a discounted rate of $10 a test.
State health department Director Ngozi Ezike said the availability is important.
“As we move ever closer to returning to how we lived pre-pandemic, it is critically important that we identify cases of COVID-19 as quickly as possible to help prevent outbreaks, which could ultimately lead to new surges,” Ezike said. “Offering testing in schools, along with vaccination and masking, can help protect s
Illinois is averaging 413 new cases per day over the past week, down 61% from two weeks ago. It’s also the lowest 7-day case average since late March 2020.