Today’s update discusses:
- Governor’s plans for reopening the state
- state’s COVID-19 research study
- plans for more testing
ECONOMY
- Governor Holcomb has announced that he is working around the clock on a plan to reopen the state this Friday. More guidance, he says, will be provided in Friday’s briefing. However, residents of the state can expect “a new normal” as far as lifestyle goes. The Governor suggested that the residents will need to build in a new way to safely live, work, and play so that they can continue their lives while also managing to keep the curve flat enough that the heaLth care system does not get overwhelmed.
HEALTH
- Indiana State Department of Health Chief Medical Officer Lindsay Weaver stated in the briefing on Tuesday that 3,700 people have signed up for a new research study that is being conducted by the state and Indiana University public health researchers. Free tests will be provided to 5,000 to 7,000 randomly selected residents in four separate phases over the next year. The goal of the study is to discern whether the individual tested is currently positive for the virus or if they had the virus previously and fought it off. The data collected will hopefully give healthcare workers a better understanding of the virus and how it spreads.
In Tuesday’s briefing it was also announced that OptumServe will launch 20 testing sites across the state, with plans to expand to 50 sites in May. OptumServe, which is a health services innovation company, is planning to test 100,000 residents a month, providing all testing resources from beginning to end. While these services will cost the state $17.9 million, Indiana officials are hoping these costs will be covered by federal grant money.