Editor's note: This story is part of a Southwest Michigan Second Wave series exploring issues surrounding COVID-19 in Calhoun county.

The availability of COVID-19 test kits appears to be a case of feast or famine. Several weeks ago Grace Health received more than 100 cases of the test kits which they distributed to 18 organizations in Calhoun County.
 
The test kits, which came to Grace Health from HRSA (Health Resources and Services Administration) at no charge, were made available after the emergence of the Omicron variant in January created such a high demand for test kits that many stores ran out. This was followed by the federal government’s efforts to mail test kits to every household in the United States that requested them -- 68 million test kit packages (with four tests per kit) have been shipped to American households across all states, Tribes, and territories.

HRSA’s distribution of test kits to Grace Health is part of a national effort to get test kits into different communities. These distributions are part of the federal organizations ongoing effort to distribute test kits. Grace Health leaders selected other local organizations who would receive the test kits. Each organization received two cases of test kits at no cost.

Even though health officials at the state and federal level have shifted their guidance on the virus and its variants to a recovery phase (that means no immediate resurgence predicted and local and state public health will monitor conditions that could lead to future surges), there is still a need to be vigilant, says Jessica Gerteisen, a Risk Management Specialist with Grace Health.
 
“It’s definitely going to be challenging because people feel like it’s ending,” she says of the virus, its variants, and the need to continue to get tested and become vaccinated. “People need to realize that part of that recovery phase is getting people vaccinated which will push us closer to the post-pandemic phase.”

Gerteisen agrees with health experts who have said that the virus is a moving target and guidance and information will continue to change as the virus and the variants it’s creating change. As cases of COVID-19 continue to decrease at the local, state and national level, leadership with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say that the virus will remain and going forward could be similar to the flu in terms of treatment options.
 
"I do anticipate that this is probably going to be a seasonal virus," says the CDC's director Dr. Rochelle Walensky. That means it could join the flu and other respiratory viruses that tend to spread during the cold winter months.
 
“It’s just going to be our new normal per se,” Gerteisen says.
 
The availability of the test kits on a broader scale will be part of the tools necessary to getting back to this new normal, says Lorraine Hunter, lead ambassador with Calhoun County’s Vaccine Ambassadors program. She is leading the Battle Creek Branch of the NAACP (National Association of Advancement for Colored People) efforts to encourage people, particularly young people, to get vaccinated.
 
Her organization received 90 test kits, each containing two tests, that she and her fellow ambassadors distributed door-to-door in different parts of the city. Those areas included the Post-Franklin neighborhood, Van Buren and High streets, and the City of Springfield.
 
The response was so great that Hunter has nearly exhausted her supply of tests. She says there are a few left and some still are available at the NAACP office.
 
“Everybody was so grateful that I was passing them out,” she says. “Most of them said to me that it was a good idea because if they suspect they have COVID 19 they could test themselves. I wished I would have had twice as many. I could have distributed two more cases of kits if I had them. The people I passed them out to were elated.”
 
Gerteisen says HRSA’s mindset is that, “‘We want to get as many kits into patients’ hands as we can because having the kits at their own home would mean not having to run to the store or go to the doctor to get tested and the results would come back in 10 minutes and after that you can continue to go on with your life, depending on the test results.”
 
Distribution of the test kits began towards the end of the Omicron surge and Gerteisen says having them available will better prepare the county for another surge.
 
Of those who test positive for the virus, she says, “The quicker we can get them quarantined and get them healthier, the quicker they can get back on their feet.”

Not all of test kits have gone as quickly as those distributed by the NAACP. That means tests are available for those who want to know if they have COVID-10.
 
BC Pride still has most of the test kits it received, says Deana Spencer, co-president of the organization. 

“They’re available to anybody including people in the neighborhood, tenants who share our building or our volunteers,” Spencer says. “They’re really available to anyone who needs one.”
 
Nomi Cuai, Health and Wellness Program Administrator for the Burma Center and Burma Center Family Liaison at the Calhoun Area Career Center.Information about the availability of the kits has been posted on the BCPride website and they will be passing out the kits at a food distribution at their offices on March 25 and at their Chili Cook-Off on March 26.
 
The Burma Center is relying on leaders in its community to help them get the word out about the availability of test kits it received.

“We’ve reached out to our Burmese community leaders and asked them to share information with those they come into contact with,” Nomi Cuai, the Burma Center’s Health and Wellness Program Administrator and its Family Liaison at the Calhoun Area Career Center.

“One of the Burmese pastors came in to get some for his family and community members and our team took one each as well. We’ve been visiting Burmese churches and asking members if they’re interested in getting the test kits themselves.”
Altogether, 1.5 cases remain, Cuai says.
 
Cuai says the federal government began its campaign to mail test kits directly to households at around the time that HRSA began its distribution. That has slowed the distribution of kits made available by HRSA.
 
Lorraine Hunter“I’m assuming that’s why we haven’t had a lot of people coming in to get them,” she says.
 
While the availability of the test kits remains a crucial piece of efforts to keep the virus in check, Gerteisen, Hunter, Spencer, and Cuai all agree that encouraging people to become fully vaccinated is the best option for stemming the spread.

“People are becoming more relaxed and I don’t think this is the time to relax yet,” Gerteisen says. “Masking mandates are a lot less than they used to be and it’s becoming more of a personal choice to protect yourself in the best way possible. The way life is going right now we need to put our trust in the manufacturers of the vaccine and the scientists who created it and how they’ve been able to show the vaccines effectiveness. All of this information is out there. I personally tell everyone that if I can get one arm to poke with the COVID-19 vaccine, that’s success for me.”