A group of Black doctors is taking the nationwide crisis surrounding COVID-19 testing into their own hands.
Testing for COVID-19 has been a nationwide concern since the coronavirus crisis began in January. On Monday, Vice President Mike Pence faced withering criticism from both Democratic and Republican governors for the continual lack of testing and supplies needed to keep communities safe, CNN reported.
The testing fiasco is exacerbated by the fact that the communities being hit the hardest by COVID-19, namely Black communities, are still being shortchanged when it comes to tests. At the end of March, Buzzfeed reported that largely Black areas of the country were being underserved when it came to coronavirus testing.
To address this issue, pediatric surgeon Ala Stanford and other Black doctors teamed up to create the Black Doctors COVID-19 Consortium and build a mobile COVID-19 testing operation in Philadelphia, WHYY reported. The doctors' goal is to provide a coronavirus testing option that is barrier-free in the hardest-hit areas in Philadelphia.
In an interview with WHYY, Stanford said she decided to get involved because it was unacceptable that Black people account for 52% of coronavirus-related deaths in the city despite only making up 44% of the population.
She told WHYY that Black people kept calling her to tell her they could not get tested for the coronavirus, so she decided to coordinate with other Black doctors and local churches to get tests into the communities that need them the most.
Through Sanford's website, people can request a free test, and the consortium has started a GoFundMe campaign to help cover the costs of van transportation, personal protective equipment, educational materials and testing supplies.
If someone has symptoms or has been in contact with someone who tested positive for COVID-19, they are able to get a test through Stanford's website. She told WHYY that the group's goal is to test about 200 people each day, and they have started doing house calls by using a van.
As many news outlets have noted, part of the reason why Black communities have been hit so hard by the coronavirus is that millions of essential workers are Black. In a feature story, The New York Times highlighted the fact that most public transportation, nursing and retail jobs are held by Black women and men, making them more likely to contract the virus and pass it on to others.
“We are many of the forward-facing employees. We’re driving the buses, we’re driving…the subways and the trains. We are the post office workers, we are in the grocery stores, we’re ringing people up at the pharmacies,” Stanford told WHYY.
In other television and magazine interviews, Stanford said the consortium has enough volunteers at this point but needs more tests. Unfortunately, Stanford is not the only one looking for more tests.
According to CNN, multiple governors told Pence that they are short on reagents and test kits, making efforts to reopen parts of the country futile because little is known about potential COVID-19 hotspots.
On Friday, The New York Times reported that only 3.6 million total tests have been conducted and about 146,000 people per day are tested for the coronavirus. Researchers at Harvard University have estimated that the United States would need to do about 500,000 to 700,000 tests per day in order to be truly ready to reopen the country by the middle of May, according to The Times.
Stanford's GoFundMe page has brought in more than $32,000 of their $100,000 goal. They have already tested more than 100 people and continue to go out into the community every day.
HBCUs are facing many challenges managing coronavirus responses and need your support. Donate to the UNCF fund today to help students impacted by the pandemic.
