Focus-19

Requests for testing surge as COVID-19 cases keep rising

Requests for COVID-19 diagnostic testing are surging as new cases rise. Connecticut 2-1-1 reported 377,558 testing inquiries to its web service in the first 15 days of November, including over 50,000 requests in a single day, November 13th. This striking rise is shown in the chart below, and closely mirrors the growth in new COVID-19 cases in CT, as reported by the state. Among states, Connecticut has a robust testing system and 2-1-1 is a key part of it. CT 2-1-1 helped create a ZIP code locator for free testing sites, and is actively promoted by the state as a resource to help residents find and obtain testing from legitimate, approved locations. As localized outbreaks are identified in towns and regions across CT, the state deploys pop-up testing sites on location, and 2-1-1 helps guide residents to them. Analyses examined 1,327,749 web requests for COVID-19 diagnostic testing received by CT 2-1-1 between April 28 (the first day web requests were reported) and November 16, 2020. All data were obtained from 2-1-1 Counts, a daily tracking system of community needs used in CT and 34 other states. Mouse over the orange line in the chart to see the number of requests for COVID-19 diagnostic tests reached each day during the observation period.

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