Presenter: Lauren Roling, Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics, Global Public Health Scholars
Over the summer I worked at a lab that was testing covid samples. My role was to enter sample information into the online system as they arrived and deliver them to the lab techs who performed testing. As an accessioner, I really got to see barriers in testing (which populations had more access/ distribution difficulties, etc). For example, testing people in homeless shelters was particularly difficult due to test distribution as well as lack of a personal email or phone number to send results to. Another one of my roles was to notify patients of their test results, and I was able to see how the amount of positive test results was increasing in my time there.
What lab work did you do previous to this job to provide you with experience to work in such a high pressure lab setting?
Given that you said that limited testing was an issue from March to June of last year, how do you think the positivity rate would compare to what was recorded?
Due to the increased test volume, how did local labs and facilities overcome this challenge so that people could receive their results?
What are some ways you think public health institutions and health frameworks as a whole can prepare to diminish outcomes such as testing unavailability and community hesitancies for potential health crises in the future (especially in areas where healthcare provisions are largely inaccessible)?
I imagine that people’s reactions to positive results vary from person to person? Were there any tips for navigating these hard but necessary conversations? What were some patient responses like?