1 / 8Show Caption +Hide Caption –
An Iowa Army National Guard UH-72 Lakota helicopter departs the Iowa National Guard Readiness Center in Iowa City, Iowa, after transferring COVID-19 test kits on May 4, 2020. The helicopter transported the test kits from a Test Iowa site in Sioux City to the State Hygienic Laboratory in Coralville, Iowa. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Cpl. Samantha Hircock)
(Photo Credit: Cpl. Samantha Hircock)VIEW ORIGINAL2 / 8Show Caption +Hide Caption –
COVID-19 test kits from a Test Iowa site in Sioux City, Iowa, being transported by an Iowa Army National Guard flight crew in a UH-72 Lakota helicopter on May 4, 2020. The test kits were transported to Iowa City, Iowa, to be taken to the State Hygienic Laboratory in Coralville, Iowa. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Cpl. Samantha Hircock)
(Photo Credit: Cpl. Samantha Hircock)VIEW ORIGINAL3 / 8Show Caption +Hide Caption –
Sgt. Jason Humke, a helicopter maintainer with Company A, 1st Battalion, 376th Aviation Security and Support, Iowa Army National Guard, performs pre-flight operations of a UH-72 Lakota helicopter during a mission in Sioux City, Iowa, on May 4, 2020. COVID-19 test kits from a Test Iowa site in Sioux City, Iowa, were flown to the State Hygienic Laboratory in Coralville, Iowa. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Cpl. Samantha Hircock)
(Photo Credit: Cpl. Samantha Hircock)VIEW ORIGINAL4 / 8Show Caption +Hide Caption –
Iowa Army National Guard UH-72 Lakota helicopter awaiting cargo at Sioux City Airport in Sioux City, Iowa, on May 4, 2020. The helicopter transported COVID-19 test kits from a Test Iowa site in Sioux City to the State Hygienic Laboratory in Coralville, Iowa. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Cpl. Samantha Hircock)
(Photo Credit: Cpl. Samantha Hircock)VIEW ORIGINAL5 / 8Show Caption +Hide Caption –
Sgt. Jason Humke, a helicopter maintainer, with Company A, 1st Battalion, 376th Aviation Security and Support, Iowa Army National Guard, in a UH-72 Lakota helicopter over Waterloo, Iowa, on May 4, 2020. COVID-19 test kits from a Test Iowa site in Sioux City, Iowa, were transported by helicopter to the State Hygienic Laboratory in Coralville, Iowa. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Cpl. Samantha Hircock)
(Photo Credit: Cpl. Samantha Hircock)VIEW ORIGINAL6 / 8Show Caption +Hide Caption –
Sgt. Jason Humke, a helicopter maintainer with Company A, 1st Battalion, 376th Aviation Security and Support, Iowa Army National Guard, prepares for flight in a UH-72 Lakota helicopter before a mission in Waterloo, Iowa, on May 4, 2020. COVID-19 test kits from a Test Iowa site in Sioux City, Iowa, were transported by helicopter to the State Hygienic Laboratory in Coralville, Iowa. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Cpl. Samantha Hircock)
(Photo Credit: Cpl. Samantha Hircock)VIEW ORIGINAL7 / 8Show Caption +Hide Caption –
Sgt. Jason Humke, a helicopter maintainer with Company A, 1st Battalion, 376th Aviation Security and Support, Iowa Army National Guard, performs pre-flight operations of a UH-72 Lakota helicopter before a mission in Waterloo, Iowa, on May 4, 2020. COVID-19 test kits from a Test Iowa site in Sioux City, Iowa, were transported by helicopter to the State Hygienic Laboratory in Coralville, Iowa. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Cpl. Samantha Hircock)
(Photo Credit: Cpl. Samantha Hircock)VIEW ORIGINAL8 / 8Show Caption +Hide Caption –
Tech. Sgt. Joy Krei, Finance Comptroller Assistant, and Airman 1st Class Hannah Marshall, Crew Chief, with the 185th Air Refueling Wing, Iowa Air National Guard, deliver COVID-19 test kits to the flight crew of an Iowa Army National Guard UH-72 Lakota helicopter at the Sioux City Airport on May 4, 2020. The kits from a Test Iowa site in Sioux City were flown to the State Hygienic Laboratory in Coralville, Iowa. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Cpl. Samantha Hircock)
(Photo Credit: Cpl. Samantha Hircock)VIEW ORIGINAL
Iowa Army National Guard pilots helped transport COVID-19 tests from a Test Iowa site in Sioux City, Iowa, to the State Hygienic Lab in Coralville, Iowa, on May 4.
The pilots, Chief Warrant Officer 4 Mike Mauss and Chief Warrant Officer 4 Brandon Burrows, along with helicopter maintainer Sgt. Jason Humke, with Company A, 1st Battalion, 376th Aviation Security and Support, transported the tests in a UH-72 Lakota helicopter.
Air transport missions are expected to continue as Test Iowa sites across the state provide those who may have come in contact with COVID-19 the opportunity to be tested for the virus.
"To keep the lab running efficiently, ideally we want to have as many test kits there as we can,” said Capt. Brad Nolan, assistant operations officer with the 67th Troop Command and Task Force East. This requires getting test kits to the SHL as quickly as possible.
Previously, the test kits had been driven by Soldiers with the 109th Multifunctional Medical Battalion from the Test Iowa sites to the State Hygienic Laboratory in trips that could take up to six hours, said Nolan.
While Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines suggest that tests can be viable for more than 72 hours if kept at the appropriate temperatures, immediate transport is recommended and both efficiency and safety are primary goals in the National Guard’s support of the state’s response to the pandemic.
Social Sharing