BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) - Mass testing for the coronavirus returned to Fargo on Thursday, about a month after targeted screenings were started to help lower the number of cases in North Dakota’s most populous metropolitan area.
The so-called surveillance testing, meant to identify people who may have COVID-19 but aren’t showing symptoms, is being held at the Fargodome for the next two days. State officials say they are well-stocked with testing kits and are looking to expand mass testing to Grand Forks, Bismarck and Minot.
Meanwhile, members of a task force tackling the state’s hotspot are focusing on contact tracing of positive tests from concentrating on vulnerable populations, Fargo Mayor Tim Mahoney said. Cass County is likely to top 2,000 COVID-19 cases in the next day.
The mass testing, Mahoney said, should help the metropolitan area go further in reducing restrictions on businesses.
“I feel reopening is going well so far,” Mahoney said. “Tip well.”
The state reported 39 new positive tests Thursday and one new death, a Cass County woman in her 70s with underlying health conditions. The death toll now stands at 74.
The number of people hospitalized, a key barometer in determining the effect of the virus, has hovered between 30 and 40 for several weeks.
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