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SALT LAKE CITY — University of Utah Health on Wednesday announced the start of the Utah HERO testing program, which aims to conduct extensive random testing for COVID-19 infections and antibodies in four Wasatch Front counties.
Utah HERO — which stands for Health & Economic Recovery Outreach — will begin with testing 10,000 Utahns in Salt Lake, Utah, Davis and Summit counties on a voluntary basis, the heath care company said in a news release.
The university has contracted with the Governor's Office of Management and Budget to implement the program.
In the release, the university explains that it will choose participating households by tagging them with a flyer or door hanger, then following up with a socially distanced in-person visit to gather information and provide instruction. All household members over age 12 should be tested, the release says; the program will test for both current COVID-19 infections and for coronavirus antibodies, which usually indicate a past infection.
The antibody testing may help state officials determine how many Utahns have had asymptomatic infections. The release says random testing "is a way to accurately determine how much COVID-19 has spread in Utah without testing every person in the state."
Participants will be compensated with a $10 gift card, according to the Utah HERO website. U of U Health spokesperson Kathy Wilets said in an email that the gift cards "will be from a variety of local and online stores and businesses."
Wilets anticipates the first phase of Utah HERO testing will last one to two months, and the next phase will last about six to eight.
“A survey of this magnitude would normally take months to organize, but we’ve been able to move things forward in a couple of weeks thanks to all of our collaborators,” said Dr. Stephen Alder, U. professor and director of field operations for Utah HERO, in the release.
To conduct the tests, U. Health’s Wellness Bus and Huntsman Cancer Institute’s Cancer Screening bus will park in designated areas to serve as COVID-19 testing sites. Participants can also be tested at the existing U. Health screening tents, and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has provided meetinghouse parking lot space for additional testing sites.
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Utah HERO field teams will be staffed by Hope Corps students, the release says.
Selected Utahns will not need to provide identification, proof of residency, insurance information or payment for the tests. The website says test results should come back within five to seven business days.
"Those with positive test results will be notified and given instructions on how to quarantine and prevent spread of the disease within households," the release says.
Mass testing and antibody testing has long been cited by health officials as a way for states to more safely reopen their economies, as Utah is beginning to do. The release says Utah HERO data "will inform decision-makers in the state as they work to help keep residents safe and get people back to work."
David Eccles School of Business Dean Taylor Randall said Utah HERO "represents the critical balance between protecting public health and moving the economy forward."
“This information will help us better understand how COVID-19 has spread through our community and inform business leaders on the best, data-driven ways to get people back into the workforce safely," he said in the release.
Testing of collected samples will be performed at ARUP Laboratories in Salt Lake City, which does all COVID-19 testing for U. Health.
