An Indiana National Guard medic preps a COVID testing station in Indianapolis, Monday, Oct. 5, 2020. Medical teams deployed to 15 testing locations throughout Indiana to support the Indiana State Department of Health and Fairbanks School of Public Health in an on-going stud to better understand COVID-19.
INDIANAPOLIS – Medical teams from the Indiana National Guard deployed across the state Oct. 2-6 to support the third round of COVID-19 testing in a continuing study of the pandemic.
Soldiers worked alongside the Indiana State Department of Health and Indiana University researchers by conducting nasal swabs to detect the active virus and blood draws to identify antibodies.
"Testing thousands of Hoosiers in a short timeframe is a huge undertaking that wouldn't be possible without the help of the Indiana National Guard," said Dr. Kristina Box, Indiana State Health commissioner. "We are grateful for the partnership so that we can gather data that will help researchers at the Fairbanks School of Public Health better understand the prevalence of COVID-19 in all Indiana populations."
Information gathered in each wave of the ongoing study supports the Richard M. Fairbanks School of Public Health research to more accurately assess infection, immune response and mortality rates. The study tests randomized Hoosiers across the state to accurately represent the Indiana population.
Men and women of Indiana National Guard stand ready to serve their state and nation in times of need. They frequently train and work side-by-side with the governor’s office and other state and local agencies to ensure the well-being of all fellow Hoosiers.
How the National Guard is helping
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