Williamson County dedicates more COVID-19 tests for community testing

Williamson County will reallocate more than 700 tests for use in ramping up community-based coronavirus testing, per a Williamson County Commissioners Court vote June 23.

The 740 tests were part of an initial 1,000 tests dedicated to nursing home and long-term care facilities in the county. Williamson County Judge Bill Gravell previously set aside the tests to ensure tests would be available should a flare-up occur, but since Gov. Greg Abbott announced May 11 the state will take on the testing of such facilities using its own tests, the dedicated tests have become available, county officials said.

Of the extra tests, 500 will be giving to Family Emergency Room. The county partnered with the clinic’s Round Rock and Cedar Park locations May 1 to conduct free community-based testing for county residents. Those tests are conducted 9 a.m.-9 p.m. daily.

The remaining 240 tests will go to the Williamson County and Cities Health District, which WCCHD Deputy Director Justine Price said will hold the district over as it awaits grant funding from St. David’s Health Foundation to purchase additional tests. She added that in mid-July, the WCCHD plans to move its testing operation mobile in order to reach small cities, like Liberty Hill and Jarrell.

Price also said the WCCHD received a million dollars from the state to fund its coronavirus operations through December. However, an order of 1,000 test kits costs about $100,000 and lasts the WCCHD about 15-16 days depending on the number of people who come in for a test, she said.

Price said that the health district is averaging 70-80 tests per day, which has increased as there has been a surge in demand.

“That [million dollars is] one-tenth of the overall amount of money that has been allocated to us through December for this entire response,” Price said. “At the same time, we're trying to deal with the surge; we're trying to hire contact tracers, investigators [and registered nurses] to help us handle the case load that's coming in.”

County officials asserted that testing will continue as long as it needs to.

“This county is not going to let [the WCCHD] run out of testing kits. We're just moving pieces around.” Gravell said. “We're going to continue to do testing because it's a part of protecting our community.”