What is Pooled Testing and Why is it Important?
*PLEASE READ THIS IMPORTANT NOTE ABOUT POOLED TESTING*
Hello GMRSD Families,
As you may know, we are conducting weekly COVID pooled testing throughout our school district. Please read this important information so you can sign your student up to participate. This weekly Pooled Testing Program is FREE to all participants. Attached below are the two links to sign up your student. You must complete both short registrations to participate in pooled testing. One registration is for the pooled testing vendor, Concentric by Gingko, and the other is for Project Beacon who we use for symptomatic testing and the follow-up testing if a pooled sample returns with a positive result. Positive results are rare and occur in less than 5% of the pooled samples. Nasal swabs are simple and painless, swabbing inside the anterior or outer part of the nostrils.
Pooled testing involves mixing several samples together in a "batch" or pooled sample, then testing the pooled sample with a diagnostic test. This approach increases the number of individuals that can be tested using the same amount of resources. Identifying individuals that may have the COVID-19 virus, even before they are having any symptoms, allows us to track and control an outbreak in our school community.
Please follow the link below to sign your student up for POOLED TESTING.
https://testcenter.concentricbyginkgo.com/minor-consent Use Code: gene-Gill
You must also complete the registration below (please select the school your student is in):
For Gill Elementary Students:
https://app.beacontesting.com/register/with-code?code=TQSQNG
For Hillcrest Elementary Students:
https://app.beacontesting.com/register/with-code?code=HLLNEC
For Sheffield Elementary Students:
https://app.beacontesting.com/register/with-code?code=DZIPKC
For Turners Falls High School:
https://app.beacontesting.com/register/with-code?code=QPOIHM
For Great Falls Middle School:
https://app.beacontesting.com/register/with-code?code=FGXBTM
Please contact Melissa Bednarski, Pandemic Nurse Response Coordinator, if you have any questions or you need assistance in registering for Pooled Testing. melissa.bednarski@gmrsd.org