SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO.com) — There will be mass testing for COVID-19 at every nursing home and assisted living facility in South Dakota.
It’s a large undertaking says State Health Secretary Kim Malsam-Rysdon.
“This is a big lift. We will be administering thousands and thousands of tests, but that, it’s a foundation for us in our response moving forward.”
She says the goal is to test all residents and all staff at the targeted facilities over the coming weeks, although no one will be forced to take a test.
These facilities are especially vulnerable to COVID-19. For example, there have been many deaths at the Good Samaritan Society’s Sioux Falls Village.
The mass testing is a collaboration between the state health lab, commercial test labs, and local healthcare facilities. Malsam-Rysdon says the state will be paying for the tests and the processing.
