Our United for our Counties COVID-19 Fund awarded $65,000 to Greenlee County Health Department to purchase 4,000 rapid COVID-19 test kits, 2,000 for Greenlee County and 2,000 for Graham County. This will give Greenlee County enough text kits for a quarter of their population.
These COVID-19 rapid test kits will give results in 10 to 15 minutes. Rapid identification is critical in isolating people who can potentially spread this virus. These tests look for immune globulin M (IgM) and immune globulin G (IgG) related to COVID-19 virus. The kits use blood from a finger stick, serum, or plasma to look for antibodies. IgM can usually be found in the sample during the acute phase of the illness (a day or two prior to the onset of fever). IgG can usually be found in the sample later in the course of the illness (days after the fever starts and should remain after the disease has revolved for a time). These kits could be used to detect an acute infection or evidence of past infection with the virus that causes COVID-19.
We are so grateful to our health department for all their hard work in keeping our counties safe, thank you for all you guys do!
