First met with more than a little mass skepticism, mass testing became a massive success.  Bismarck Burleigh Public Health Director Renae Moch says that at the peak of testing, upwards of one thousand people would line up at the Bismarck Event Center mass testing events. But in the past several weeks, those numbers have drastically declined due in part to the availability of testing in numerous other locations in Bismarck/Mandan.  Recent events have only drawn around two hundred people participating in each round.  January 12th was the final Bismarck Burleigh Public Health COVID-19 screening event to take place.

For the first time, I personally feel like a real tipping point is being reached.  Let me tell you, it's a good feeling. I'm very much a realist and rarely am I one to put the cart before the horse.  But deep down, I now feel this is the first time since March of 2020 that we are not controlled by the curve.

The idea of soon transforming the Event Center into a mass vaccination location is a true blessing.  It actually feels like it is possible to imagine a future time when we will be looking back at this dumpster fire of a year, looking back and moving forward. There's been so much suffering and loss of life, that the pandemic really did seem to be "the new normal".  But it's not, and cancelling the mass testing events gives me a real feeling that "the old normal" is still ahead.

If you still would like to get a test there are a number of locations offering them...click here to discover where and when.


 

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