GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Kent County Health Director Dr. Adam London is pleased with the latest COVID-19 trend in the county.
He says the positivity rate on tested people is moving in the right direction, decreasing steadily over the last three weeks.
"A few weeks ago we were looking at a little over 4% of our tests coming back positive," says Dr. London. "Now we're down to about 2.1% in Kent County and throughout this region. That's very promising."
He attributes the decline to several factors. As for the governor's mandate to wear masks in indoor public spaces? He has no doubt it's helped.
"They're not perfect, but there is a fast growing body of research that shows they are effective at reducing risk," explains Dr. London.
More readily available COVID-19 tests have also helped. The Kent County Health Department is now testing asymptomatic people, as well as people showing symptoms, and is not requiring doctors orders to get a test.
"If you think you may have been exposed to someone who has a case or you have a job in which you're exposed to a lot of people on a regular basis, we encourage you to test those resources out," says Dr. London.
Overall, he says while the current trend is a good thing, it isn't time to celebrate yet and asks that people continue to follow public health guidelines.
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