Stutsman County holds county’s first coronavirus mass testing event

The event was held in Jamestown at the Stutsman County Fairgrounds and 566 tests were administered

JAMESTOWN, N.D. — Hundreds of cars lined up in Jamestown at the Stutsman County Fairgrounds to get their free test for the coronavirus.

It comes after the county saw a spike in positive cases over the last two weeks.

“Many people are watching our numbers on the North Dakota Department of Health’s website and may have noticed that the numbers have been increasing lately and that is because we have been doing more testing,” said Central Valley Health’s Robin Iszler. “While those numbers go up, that is a perfect reason why we are doing this mass testing event.”

As of Wednesday, the county has had 60 people test positive. Of those 60, 38 people have recovered.

The event had a goal of completing 500 tests, but that number was exceeded with 566 tests administered. The event was put on by Central Valley Health and the North Dakota National Guard.

Local nurses came to help complete the testing. Those from Jamestown Regional Medical Center (JRMC) say it is crucial to do all they can to help during these times.

“I think it is really important to know that your community hospital supports you,” said JRMC’s Chief Nursing Officer, Trisha Jungels. “We are dedicate to this pandemic and making sure that we are here to provide the care.”

It was a team effort from everyone in the Jamestown area.

“We pride ourselves on our relationships that we have with community members and other community agencies and organizations,” said Jungels. “At the COVID drive-through you’ve got public health, you got the ambulance and the police department, sheriffs, we even have Red Cross here.”

Those who tested positive at the event will be notified within 24 to 72 hours.