Testing, Safe Busing: OC Tech Helps Out

Getting back to work and school safely is a growing challenge during the pandemic. Here are some ways that Orange County has been using technology to make the task more secure.

Testing

Irvine-based HireRight, whose companies are providers of employment background checks, said an affiliate is offering saliva-based COVID-19 screening tests nationwide. The goal is to help employers make more informed decisions about returning employees to the workplace.   

The test detects the presence of the coronavirus in the saliva of the test taker and can be self-administered. The sample is express-shipped to a lab for testing.

Employers will have the ability to order the COVID-19 antigen test through the HireRight platform. Unlike blood draws or nasal swabs, the saliva sample is easily self-collected.

“Spitting into a tube is much easier than swabbing,” said Dr. Todd Simo, chief medical officer at HireRight.

The test received Emergency Use Authorization by the federal Food and Drug Administration on July 31, Simo told the Business Journal on Aug. 27. The test costs about $170 per person, he said.

“We are partnered with a laboratory network, and it is that laboratory network that supports the collection, supplies and actual testing,” Simo said. “HireRight did not develop the test; however, we performed a due diligence of the lab product offering to assure it was a valid employment COVID-19 testing solution.”

He called the test “highly reliable.” HireRight is offering the screening test service to its clients.

HireRight’s services also include employment-related drug testing, education verification, and form I-9 employment eligibility verification. “HireRight helps more than 40,000 companies hire great talent,” according to its website.

Bus Tracking

Along with issues concerning getting mask-wearing kids get into classrooms outfitted with various safety shields, there’s the question whether it’s safe for them to take the school bus.

Vehicle-tracking and management company CalAmp Corp. in Irvine last month released a survey that showed:

• Only 43% of parents plan to use buses this school year, compared to 50% of students who use the bus in a typical school year.

• 85% of parents believe students should observe physical distancing at school and on the bus.

CalAmp this summer released “Bus Guardian,” an array of digital methods designed to keep track of school bus ridership, vehicle sanitizing and potential student illness based on contact tracing—all needed to return to school safely by school bus.

The system is a development of Synovia Solutions, which CalAmp bought last year.

“While this was an acquisition we thought would be an add-on vertical, it’s been very important,” CalAmp CEO Jeff Gardner told the Business Journal on Aug. 19. “It’s really taken off.” 

OCTA APP

The Orange County Transportation Authority’s recently released Transit app lets passengers see how many seats are available as a bus approaches.

Riders can download the free app to help plan their bus trip, to see where their bus is currently running on the route, and—for the first time—receive information on how full the bus is.

During the coronavirus pandemic, OCTA is limiting the number of passengers on buses to allow for physical distancing of at least 6 feet, when possible.