KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The coronavirus is nowhere near gone, and the increase in positive cases proves that.
On Thursday, several organizations teamed up to provide free testing in one of Kansas City’s COVID-19 hotspots.
“The 3rd District has seen higher incidents and also higher positives and higher deaths unfortunately due to COVID-19,” said Tenagashaw Tiruneh, Heart to Heart’s director of laboratory programs.
Organizers are targeting asymptomatic people and anyone who has recently been at any type of mass gathering. They’re urging people who’ve attended funerals, family functions and the protests to get tested.
“This is a chance for you to get tested just to make sure that you are not inadvertently passing the disease on because you don’t know if you’re positive,” United Inner City Services CEO Deidre Anderson said.
They were pleased with the turn out Thursday.
“Today I have seen plenty of people that have said that they’ve been out there protesting. I don’t want us to think that all of the rise in the cases is because of protesting,” Anderson said. “But I also think it’s a real challenge. You don’t want to stifle somebody’s voice. But you also don’t want them to be at risk.”
Hundreds have gotten tested so far, like Thelma Mosby.
“Extremely important because you just never know who you were standing next to. You come home and you pass it to me. I don’t need it,” Mosby said.
Organizers are hoping others take advantage, too.
A spokesperson with Heart to Heart said any business in the metro area can reach out to them to arrange free testing for their employees.