DULUTH — In the 28 months, state-designated COVID-19 tests operated at the Duluth Entertainment Convention Center, 212,663 tests were administered, according to the Minnesota Department of Health. TheArray, which opened on September 22, 2020, closed for a smart Saturday afternoon.
The busiest month for the trial was November 2020, when an average of 1,151 tests per day were administered, or 24,529 in total. The busiest month at the time is January 2022, when an average of 763 tests per day were administered. also among the five busiest months for the site.
Normally located in DECC’s Paulucci Hall, the network’s test site was temporarily moved to Pioneer Hall to better meet increased demand. Peter Hannegraf, site manager, said Pioneer Hall can accommodate more than double the number of tables they had at Paulucci Hall.
“And we needed every single one of them,” Hannegraf said. “The call for so crazy. Enough area is a massive problem. “
DECC Minnesota is the first and longest-running testing site in the COVID-19 network, said Garry Bowman, public data officer for the Minnesota Department of Health.
“Back then, it might seem like a long time ago, but think about panic and anxiety,” Hannegraf said. “It was very doubtful and there was no vaccine, you couldn’t get them at Walgreens, so this was the only position. It was a scary moment. “
The control site, funded through the state of Minnesota, controlled through Vault Health. PCR saliva controls, immediate antigen checks and home checks were available. Hannegraf said that once the immediate checks were offered, they became the most popular choice for many other people because they would know if they were inflamed with the coronavirus in about 15 minutes.
PCR tests, which are more accurate, take a day or two to take effect. A courier arrived at the site every night to test them and take them to Oakdale, Minnesota, for treatment. More recently, tests were flown to Massachusetts each and every night, however, other people still got their effects the next day.
DECC is also a monitoring site for treatment, where other eligible individuals who had tested positive for COVID-19 can obtain medication to help cure their infection while they were in place for control.
Lucie Amundsen, DECC’s communications director, said its online page with verification data is one of its most visited pages, and that DECC staff were pleased to be part of the push to advise others through the most productive tactics and times to access the verification site. .
“Financially, it was wonderful for DECC, as it was for many conference centers in the state,” Amundsen said. “It gave us the opportunity to fulfill the network role we play as a regional center. “
Loose DECC parking for others who receive tests to restrict barrier gestures. The tests were also free for all, regardless of state nationality.
Hannegraf said he has noticed other people from nearly every state over the past two years. Many other people were tested before or traveled, especially Canadians who needed negative tests to cross the border. He said others from all over Northland frequented the site. , adding from Iron Range and Wisconsin.
The DECC check had 15 workers at the peak of its demand, but it had been reduced to five workers during the time it closed.
“The other people we’ve dealt with and worked with have been excellent,” Hannegraf said. “It’s smart to see other people coming in combination. We’ve all worked hard in combination and enjoyed it. “
Hannegraf said traffic has been noticeably slower in recent months. On its penultimate day of steady traffic, the room was empty, for the five workers present, as noon approached. before and after. Since September, the site has been conducting an average of fewer than 50 consistent tests a day.
Hannegraf attributed this decrease in volume in part to the existing accessibility of testing: at-home testing can be ordered online or purchased at retail stores and pharmacies, and doctors’ offices can now process tests more easily, and a shift in belief in COVID-19 from 2020 to 2023. Many other people are no longer wary of testing for a variety of reasons, adding vaccination.
Vault Health also hosts many Minnesota vaccination clinics at DECC, especially in 2021. They administered a total of 19,500 tests at Fitzgerald Hall, which was one of the first places to open when the state won its first COVID-19 vaccine in February 2021.
“I’m not a very sentimental person, but I like, ‘We’re doing something smart here,'” Hannegraf said of the vaccines. “It’s a rewarding feeling. “
“All of us at DECC are very appreciative of the other people who manage the COVID testing site,” Amundsen said. “When you think of frontline workers, those other people were the spearhead when there were no vaccines and much less data about this virus, and they showed up every day and were there to serve the wishes of the community. We will miss those other people. In fact, they felt like our colleagues and not just like visitors at a conference.