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Good evening WCCUSD Community,

We are writing to update you on changes in the District’s Covid-19 Case dashboard and reporting process.

The COVID dashboard currently reports the confirmed positive on-site cases for both students and staff.  The cases in the dashboard reflect confirmed positive tests gathered from Predicine, Inc., the district’s COVID-19 testing company, and principals and central office leaders who submit positive and exposure cases that are reported to them. All exposures to district personnel are contact-traced to ensure persons exposed are notified via phone or email. The dashboard is only as accurate as the information received through the district-sponsored testing program or from individuals who report their positive status or exposure to their Principals or Department heads.

As one of the few districts that provides weekly testing for students, we recognize the current process has caused delays in reporting the number of positive cases.  We understand the community’s need for real-time data on positive cases and testing by school.  As a result, the District’s Covid Response Team is working to streamline the reporting process for staff to support timely reporting.

As we complete the third week of in-person instruction, we recognize that there is room to improve the reporting process.  Here are a few of the changes being made to improve this process: 

• Effective September 7, the District will update the Covid Positive Case Dashboard by 5 p.m. daily. 
• On the front page of the dashboard, you will see the confirmed positive on site staff and student cases for the week prior. 
• The second page will display daily and cumulative confirmed positive on site cases from August 16 to date 
• Confirmed cases received after 4 p.m. will be reported the following business day. 
• Over the past two weeks, WCCUSD has added eight members to the COVID Response Team to allow contact-tracing and confirmed reported cases.
• The District will assign a project manager to oversee the Covid Positive tracker and communications. Current communications from your school’s principal regarding positive cases will be sent from the project manager’s office. 
• Predicine, Inc., has also added support staff and is transitioning to a new software platform to allow WCCUSD to report testing numbers by site. 

The District’s testing partner, Predicine, Inc., is also taking steps to shorten the time it takes to deliver test results. Please see the commitment from Predicine: Thank you for your partnership.

 

Dear WCCUSD Community, 

As CEO of Infectious Disease at Predicine, I take full responsibility for the complaints and frustration from parents, faculty, and staff. We are in the pandemic era, with the rise and high transmissibility of the Delta and Lambda variants, safety and health awareness to the students, their family and friends, the faculty, and staff, including the WCC community at large, is Predicine’s #1 priority.   

Issue: The number one complaint is the delayed result delivery time, which consequently can affect early decisions as to the safety of our students, faculty and staff. Many issues, because of the increased number of testing's include ineligibility, incorrect spellings, and phone number on the Test Requisition Forms (TRFs) has led to challenges to our staff from the perspective of data entry. Predicine has provided an immediate solution as described below.  

The nasal and/or oral swabs that are collected during on-site collections are processed immediately at the Predicine Laboratory in Hayward, CA.  

The gap/issue is linking the barcode on the collection tube to the barcode on the TRF (with student/faculty/staff personal information), which has resulted in report generation over 72 hours. This is absolutely unacceptable.   

Temporary Solution: The immediate solution for last week's (Thursday (8/26) and Friday (8/27)) outstanding results are providing daily communication reports to the leadership of WCCUSD within 48 hours.   

Predicine will provide the following within 48 hours for a School to a Principal, Michael Booker and Dr. Hurst:   

1. Positive results, at the district level and schools will be reported. These results will be reported to the State as well.  
2. The negative reports will be generated but at a later date, once the data entry is completed. The implementation of the software will resolve all these issues going forward.  
3. Reports will be provided via text/email when the linkage is completed   

Action item (by the end of today, 8/31, from 8/26 & 8/27):   

1. Predicine has manually associated barcodes for positive cases with name, school and district  
2. Information has been sent today WCCUSD leadership  
3. Parents have been contacted by phone and/or voicemail  

A total of 7 were identified as positive cases (6 of which had positive rapid tests and confirmed by RT-PCR, parents and WCCUSD leadership were notified). 1 positive case was identified by RT-PCR, and parents and WCCUSD leadership have been notified today.   

Near-term solution:  

1. Registration software launch: Front Runner (Wednesday, 9/1):  
2. Software will eliminate the above issues, very simple to use (few steps), one time consent & insurance info and repopulate for recurring tests  
3. Test tracking/monitoring of students, faculty and staff  
4. Reports: Rapid antigen tests reports will be released the same day and Real-Time Quantitative Polymerase Reaction (RT-PCR) reports will be generated within 48 hours, and in most cases within 24 hours  

Clarification (other issues from members of the community): 

Sample processing: All samples are processed at the Predicine Laboratory the day it was received.  

Billing: Once the reports are generated, and only when the reports are generated, Predicine will bill the insurance company. However, if exceed the 48-hour turnaround time, Predicine can’t bill for high-throughput processing.  

Undocumented individuals: Predicine simplified by only asking whether you are insured or not-insured.  

Registration: Predicine has switched from Curagram to Front Runner registration software due to simplicity and ease of customization/use. We DO NOT ask for social security and/or driver’s license information in the new registration software.  

Predicine accepts full responsibility for the numerous complaints and ongoing frustrations. We understand the urgency and importance of our responsibilities for providing COVID-19 testing solutions to the WCCUSD community. Predicine has made huge investments in bringing on-site staffing (>120, most from WCC), registration software (digital and paperless) to adding on-site Rapid Response Teams to WCCUSD. Predicine takes pride in the personalized and flexibility in the COVID-19 testing services.   

We at Predicine take the feedback from the WCCUSD community seriously, and thus far, has taken every step to understand, provide the best solution to address each one, before implementation. I myself represent Predicine, and I am fully aware my reputation is on the line, and I will do everything in my power to fulfill my promises to the WCCUSD community in protecting the safety and health of our students, parents, family, faculty and staff. 

We really appreciate the patience and opportunity to serve the West Contra Costa Unified School District. Should anyone have any questions and/or concerns, please email feedback@wccusd.net. I will maintain direct communication with Mr. Michael Booker, Dr. Hurst and principals going forward.  

Sincerely, 
Winston 

Winston Patrick Kuo, DDS, SM, DMSc
CEO, Infectious Diseases
Predicine, Inc.
3555 Arden Rd, Hayward, CA 94545