On Friday, the City of Paris moved forward in ordering COVID-19 testing kits, however, rather than the original 20,000 kits with a $500,000 budget, the city was able to place a smaller order of 5,000 kits costing around $125,000.
“While we originally approved the $500,000 budget to order 20,000 kits, we felt much more comfortable ordering 5,000 kits and the company we are ordering from agreed today to sell us that amount,” said Paris Mayor Steve Clifford. “We feel much more comfortable with this order.”
The kits, which are made In the USA and are expected to arrive within a week, are a simple blood test that can be done by finger prick and are much less invasive than the nasal test.
“We’re looking into how we’re going to use these tests and how best to benefit the community and make them available,” said Clifford. “There will be an immediate need to test those in quarantine, as well as, some health care workers, first responders, those who are symptomatic, etc.”
Clifford said they still have plans to open a drive-thru testing facility in Paris and those details will be worked out between the Paris-Lamar County Health Department and healthcare professionals.
He further explained that there is also a good reason to test people who may have had the coronavirus because if they did they are now immune to it and that is something that individual needs to know.
“We’ve had a need for testing in Paris but haven’t had access to the amount of test we need. Now, we can provide testing to those who need it.”
Clifford also stated there will be a discussion on whether to charge for the tests or not, however, with each test costing less than $30, by charging enough to cover the cost of the test there would be no money out of pocket for the city.
This is a developing story and as more information becomes available we will update our readers.