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<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://www2.erie.gov/health/index.php?q=press/erie-county-department-health-outlines-testing-process-schools-microcluster-zones">https://www2.erie.gov/health/index.php?q=press/erie-county-department-health-outlines-testing-process-schools-microcluster-zones</a><o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;line-height:115%"><b><span style="font-size:16.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">MEDIA RELEASE<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:115%"><span style="font-size:13.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">December 1, 2020<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:115%"><span style="font-size:13.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">CONTACT: Kara Kane /
</span><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><a href="mailto:kara.kane@erie.gov"><span style="font-size:13.0pt;line-height:115%">kara.kane@erie.gov</span></a></span><span style="font-size:13.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">
/ (716) 858-4941 <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:115%"><b><span style="font-size:13.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">
</span></b><b><span style="font-size:16.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;line-height:105%"><b><span style="font-size:14.0pt;line-height:105%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">ERIE COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH OUTLINES TESTING PROCESS FOR SCHOOLS IN MICROCLUSTER ZONES
</span></b><b><span style="font-size:14.0pt;line-height:105%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;line-height:115%"><b><span style="font-size:13.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;line-height:105%"><i><span style="font-size:14.0pt;line-height:105%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Requirements for school-based diagnostic testing programs emphasize safety and quality control</span></i><i><span style="font-size:14.0pt;line-height:105%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:105%"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">ERIE COUNTY, NY -- The Erie County Department of Health (ECDOH) will provide use of its Division of Emergency Medical Services new Limited Service Lab (LSL) license
to schools within New York State-designated microcluster zones. This announcement follows extensive internal discussions about how to best support schools in providing safe testing for students and staff.
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:105%"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:105%"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">“The requirement for schools to have access to the Erie County’s LSL in order to perform diagnostic COVID antigen tests raised serious concerns,”
<b>said Commissioner of Health Dr. Gale Burstein</b>. “ECDOH is responsible for all diagnostic tests performed under our license. We were hesitant to take any action that could put that license in jeopardy, especially since we use that license for a majority
of our diagnostic COVID tests.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:105%"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:105%"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">“From a practical perspective, we were concerned how schools, which do not typically provide medical services, could carry out these programs safely and with quality
results,” <b>said Dr. Burstein</b>. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:105%"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:105%"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">“Our emergency preparedness team has used this time to obtain a new LSL and develop a plan that addresses our concerns and meets the needs of schools that choose
to provide diagnostic COVID-19 tests to continue or resume in-person learning,” <b>
Dr. Burstein explained</b>.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:105%"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:105%"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">ECDOH will allow schools within microcluster zones to use its LSL to conduct school-based testing programs, once the schools confirm they can meet and maintain certain
operational and safety requirements. Those requirements relate to identifying an ordering physician to supervise the testing program, developing an operational plan to safely test student and staff, obtaining consent for testing and providing confidential
results, collecting and reporting testing data to New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH), and ensuring that medical records are preserved and kept confidential.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:105%"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:105%"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Schools will order Binax NOW COVID test kits directly from NYSDOH. These COVID-19 rapid antigen tests provide results in 15 minutes. Schools will provide those results
to students and school staff tested at their sites, and will transmit records of all lab tests to NYSDOH.
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:105%"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:105%"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">ECDOH has sent information on how to access its LSL to school district superintendents and school leaders in Erie County. School leaders with questions can call
the main Health Department phone number at (716) 858-7690.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:105%"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;line-height:115%"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">#<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:115%"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">For more information:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<ul style="margin-top:0in" type="disc">
<li class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin-left:0in;mso-add-space:auto;line-height:105%;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1">
<b>Erie County Department of Health (ECDOH), COVID-19</b>: <a href="http://www.erie.gov/covid19">
http://www.erie.gov/covid19</a> <o:p></o:p></li></ul>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="line-height:105%"> <o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;line-height:115%"><b><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">###<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:115%;border:none;padding:0in"><b><span style="font-size:9.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></span></b><b><span style="font-size:16.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"> </span></b><b><span style="font-size:16.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:8.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><a href="https://getmyflushot.org/"><span style="color:blue">Make time to get a flu vaccine this fall.</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:8.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:8.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Kara Kane</span></b><span style="font-size:8.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">
<b><span style="color:blue">|</span></b> Public Information Officer (Health)<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:8.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Erie County
<b><span style="color:blue">|</span></b> Health<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:8.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">95 Franklin Street, Buffalo, NY 14202<br>
P: (716) 858-4941 <b><span style="color:blue">|</span></b> F: (716) 858-8701<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:8.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><a href="mailto:Kara.Kane@erie.gov"><span style="color:blue">Kara.Kane@erie.gov</span></a>
<b><span style="color:blue">|</span></b> <a href="http://www.erie.gov/health"><span style="color:blue">http://www.erie.gov/health</span></a></span><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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