Stanislaus County to use antibody tests in COVID-19 fight. Initial costs are questioned.
Stanislaus County is putting together an antibody testing program to help with measuring the spread of the coronavirus disease.
The county plans to start testing in June, with additional testing in October, in hopes of bolstering public health surveillance and estimating how many residents have been infected.
The county will have a stand-alone testing program modeled after the USC research study that’s attracted attention in Los Angeles County.
But the county is also facing questions about the costs of setting up the program — an incomplete estimate of $425,000 — and whether the money should be spent for other causes.
County board chair Kristin Olsen said the antibody testing is for study purposes and public health surveillance. But participants will be able to go into a database to see their test results.
The county said the antibody testing will help with monitoring the spread of coronavirus. Community surveillance is important for preparing for a potential surge and planning for reopening the economy, the county said.
An exploratory trip taken by Olsen and county staff member Jason Roberts raised immediate questions about an out-of-county use of a sheriff’s helicopter. The county representatives traveled to a May 9 meeting in Los Angeles with Dr. Nareej Sood, vice dean for research at the USC Price School of Public Policy, who is leading antibody research study there.
When officials were invited May 6 to meet with Sood, the county felt there was limited time for booking a commercial air flight, so a decision was made to use a sheriff’s helicopter for the out-of-county trip. Fuel costs for the 6.3-hour roundtrip were $805 and costs for the pilot and flight officer were $626, bringing the grand total to $1,431, the county said.
That’s about $700 apiece for air travel to and from Los Angeles, when roundtrip commercial fares may be closer to $260.
Stanislaus sheriff and county CEO authorized the trip
Sheriff Jeff Dirkse said this week he authorized the trip, which also received approval from county Chief Executive Officer Jody Hayes.
Dirkse said the department doesn’t have a policy for use of its two helicopters for travel outside the county. He thought the coronavirus state of emergency was a reason to consider approving the request.
“We don’t typically fly people around for travel on county business,” Dirkse said. ”Given the short turn-around time for arranging air travel and the state of emergency, and they needed to get there at a specific time. I felt it was appropriate use of the asset.”
No overtime was paid because the sheriff’s flight crew had been scheduled to work that day.
The Stanislaus County party left Modesto at 5:45 a.m. for the 10 a.m. meeting with Sood’s research team at the testing site at UCLA’s baseball field. UCLA is about 15 miles north of Los Angeles International Airport. The copter landed at a Veterans hospital a mile from the test site.
After a 2 1/2 hour meeting, they returned to Modesto by 4 p.m., avoiding Los Angeles airports and freeway traffic.
The Bee checked airfares Tuesday for a same-day roundtrip (Sacramento-Los Angeles) for Saturday, finding tickets for around $600 apiece including fees. When 30 miles of Uber service is included, the travel expenses for Olsen and Roberts could have cost $130 to $150 less.
A video conference could have eliminated the need for travel aboard an aircraft designed for law enforcement activities and rescue missions.
Olsen said on social media that federal CARES Act money allocated to the county paid for the travel costs. Olsen said she believed use of the helicopter was justified.
“We had such little notice, we were not aware there would have been a commercial flight available,” Olsen said. “For the cost of two of us flying down (plus lodging and meals), I don’t think we would have saved much money.”
The county is now putting together a program with an aim to start antibody testing of selected residents in June. The initial startup costs of $425,000 or higher, when all the costs have not been accounted for, may not sit well with some local leaders who are watching how the county spends the federal CARES Act assistance.
Modesto councilwoman comments on spending
Modesto Councilwoman Kristi Ah You said the county is spending CARES Act money on expensive helicopter travel and other costs when local businesses are suffering and cities are facing huge COVID-related impacts to their budgets. The $1,430 could have been given to ailing businesses or assisted people laid off during the shelter in place orders, she said.
Stanislaus County has some $96 million from the federal CARES Act stimulus package, but has not said whether CARES money will pay for the new testing program.
Ah You is among city leaders who’ve suggested the county share some of the CARES Act allocation with cities, which were bypassed for the federal assistance because of their smaller size.
“Antibody testing is a good idea, but I hope and pray they do the appropriate research and that it’s a sure thing and not a gamble given those kinds of expenses,” Ah You said. “We have some serious and significant budget issues that will come forth this year and in the years to come. I would hope our county CEO and our city manager work together to do what is best for all of us.”
Roberts, the project manager, said the county will have a stand-alone antibody study that mirrors the research in Los Angeles County.
In a research letter published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, Sood reported that the first phase of serological testing, including 865 residents in April, revealed that far more Los Angeles County residents had antibodies for the SARS-CoV-2 virus than was previously known.
The test tries to detect antibodies in the blood produced when the immune system battles coronavirus. A positive test suggests the person was infected even if he or she didn’t have symptoms.
Based on a rate of 4 percent positive tests, the USC researchers estimated 367,000 adults had been infected with coronavirus in Los Angeles County, far more than the county’s 8,430 confirmed cases in April.
Stanislaus health officials hope antibody testing will improve disease surveillance as more businesses and facilities reopen for the summer and the COVID-19 illness starts to reappear in the fall.
Roberts said in an email that trained medical personnel will be recruited for staffing the local testing sites. That cost is estimated to range from $250,000 to $275,000.
Sood has recommended testing 1,000 local residents chosen by age, gender, income levels and ethnicity to fairly represent the demographics of the county.
The county needs a contract with a research firm, costing around $150,000, to choose a representative sample of county residents for testing. Those residents could be contacted by phone or email asking them to participate.
Roberts is researching other costs of the testing program.
Olsen said she’s satisfied with the accuracy rates of antibody testing. What isn’t clear is whether the presence of antibodies in the blood provides protection against the COVID-19 respiratory illness, which has resulted in 28 deaths in this county.
Dirkse said a sheriff’s helicopter was used for one other long-distance trip related to the pandemic. A copter flew to Southern California to pick up a shipment of personal protective equipment for health care workers.
The helicopters have been used often for air patrols to watch for foul play around business buildings, schools and other facilities during the statewide shutdown, Dirkse noted.
This story was originally published May 28, 2020 at 1:21 PM.
