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ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — One of Alaska’s largest private COVID-19 providers plans to close its public sites in the state until the end of June.
Capstone Clinic’s resolution is primarily motivated by monetary considerations, Matt Jones, Capstone’s director of non-clinical operations, told the Anchorage Daily News.
Jones said it began with an abrupt resolution by the federal government earlier this year to stop covering the costs of COVID-19 testing or treatment for those without health insurance. The low volume of testing in recent weeks has compounded financial concerns. , he said.
At one point, due to the backlog of cases caused by the omicron variant, the company conducted about 3,000 tests per day, he said. In June, the number was closer to 200 or 250 tests per day.
“While we are pleased to provide evidence to the public for as long as possible, we cannot do so at the expense of our own business,” Jones said.
Capstone’s public verification sites include locations in Anchorage, Wasilla, Eagle River, Juneau, Ketchikan, and Fairbanks.
Jones said there has been a broader national shift from mass PCR clinical testing to home testing, which fitness officials say are less delicate than molecular tests but still accurate when used correctly.
At the height of the pandemic, Capstone operated 21 testing and vaccination sites in Alaska. In some communities, it was the sole provider.
On Wednesday, the state fitness branch reported a 35 percent increase in COVID-19-related hospitalizations over the past week.
Clinton Bennett, a spokeswoman for the department, in an email to The Associated Press, said the tests “are vital and available to the state. “He cited the accessibility of over-the-counter testing and said many industries have incorporated testing into their operations. .
Bennett said there are still network sites hosted through other organizations or running privately.
The city of Juneau said Thursday it won another shipment of immediate federally funded self-tests that it makes available to citizens for free.
The Associated Press
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