Ward County commissioners are moving toward making COVID-19 antibody testing available to county residents.

Commission Chairman John Fjeldahl began advocating for antibody testing two months ago when the commission approved providing rapid tests for county employees. He said he’s been frustrated by the lack of progress during that time. He and Ward County Emergency Manager Jennifer Wiechmann reported to the commission Tuesday on where things stand.

Fjeldahl said the state will provide test kits for free but will not process the tests. He said Trinity Health would be willing to train staff to do the processing, but the county also learned insurance will not cover the costs of processing because the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has determined the tests are no longer medically relevant in the age of the vaccines. That also means the antibody testing isn’t eligible for 75% cost sharing through the Federal Emergency Management Administration as a COVID-19 emergency expense.

Fjeldahl suggested the county could use some of the $3 million in its federal CARES Act funding for COVID-19 relief to pay for test processing. He sought the commission’s guidance on whether to pursue the matter.

“Trinity is working on trying to get certified to do it,” he said. “I don’t want them to waste their time, either. If we’re not committed to funding our portion of the solution, let everybody know that.”

Commissioner Shelly Weppler questioned whether the desire for testing is driven by the commission rather than by the public for whom the tests will be made available. Nor has Trinity approached the commission to request help in offering the testing, she said.

However, Commissioner Jim Rostad moved to acquire up to 2,500 free test kits. The cost to the county will depend on how many kits get used and processed. Trinity hasn’t indicated how much it would need to charge for processing, although the county expects the cost to exceed $50,000 for 2,500 tests.

The motion passed 3-2, with Rostad joined by Fjeldahl and Howard “Bucky” Anderson. John Pietsch and Weppler voted no.

The next step is to continue gathering information and working with Trinity to secure cost figures.