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Silicon Slopes partners with state to launch mobile COVID-19 testing sites

UPDATED: APRIL 2, 2020 AT 6:51 PM

BY KELLI PIERCE
Producer, Inside Sources

SALT LAKE CITY – Technology companies from Utah’s Silicon Slopes have partnered with the state of Utah to launch a program designed to more quickly establish mobile testing sites across the state.

The “Utah Crush the Curve Campaign,” is designed to fill some of the gaps in COVID-19 testing in Utah, especially in Utah County.

Utah has tested more people for the COVID-19 coronavirus than most other states.

In a news conference at the State Capitol, David Elkington with InsideSales.com said the group already has testing tents at the Timpanogos Regional Hospital in Orem and the Town Center Mall in Provo, but they want more.

“We hope to have tents all the way from the North all the way down to the South. Our objective is to create ubiquitous testing for anybody who has symptoms and who needs it,” Elkington said.

Six more mobile COVID-19 coronavirus testing sites could pop up in Utah by next week.

“We expect in the next two to three weeks to be able to get to as many as 4,000 tests per day,’ Elkington said.

People who are interested in getting a COVID-19 test can go to TestUtah.com and conduct an online assessment. If it’s necessary to have a test, you’ll be emailed a time to go to a testing site.

The results of that test will be shared with you via text or email.

The state will be using the data they collect from the tests to determine where COVID-19 coronavirus is spreading.

Gov. Gary Herbert called the “Utah Crush the Curve Campaign” the largest public health assessment in Utah’s history, while Lt. Governor Spencer Cox believes more testing needs to be done in Utah.

“It’s hard to make decisions [about public health] without good data…We are a top ten state when it comes to testing per capita already, and yet we still have so far to go,” Cox said.

You can find more of our coronavirus coverage below.

How To Prevent the Spread of COVID-19 Coronavirus

COVID-19 coronavirus is transmitted from person to person. It is a virus that is similar to the common cold and the flu. So, to prevent it from spreading:

Wash hands frequently and thoroughly, with soap and water, for at least 20 seconds.
Don’t touch your face.

Keep children and those with compromised immune systems away from someone who is coughing or sneezing (in this instance, at least six feet)
If there is an outbreak near you, practice social distancing (stay at home, instead of going to the movies, sports events, or other activities.)
Get a flu shot.