ICATT Success Stories
After the Public Health Emergency expires on May 11, 2023: The CDC ICATT program will likely continue with a smaller site network that supports testing and disease surveillance needs at non-emergency levels. ICATT will continue to provide no-cost COVID-19 testing for people without health insurance with symptoms related to COVID-19 or who were exposed to someone with COVID-19. A list of ICATT sites can be found on the CDC COVID-19 Testing Locator website.
The Increasing Community Access to Testing (ICATT) program is committed to increasing access to COVID-19 testing in communities greatly impacted by the pandemic and for people without health insurance. The purpose of these success stories is to share best practices for testing in areas with moderate-to-high scores on the CDC/ASTDR Social Vulnerability Index (SVI) through partnerships between the federal government and public pharmaceutical companies.
Each success story shows real-world results of prevention and surveillance activities conducted by the ICATT program. Success stories show how the CDC is making progress toward meeting national program goals. The stories below refer to activities conducted between 2020 and 2022.
On August 29, 2021, President Biden directed the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to lead Operation Allies Welcome (OAW). The program supported the safe resettlement of Afghan asylum seekers who worked with coalition forces in Afghanistan.
During the mission’s arrival phase (August through October 2021), the Increasing Community Access to Testing (ICATT) program administered COVID-19 tests to Afghan allies at Washington Dulles and Philadelphia international airports. ICATT contractor, eTrueNorth, and government staff collaborated to provide 24-hour testing. They tested more than 3,000 people per day.
eTrueNorth set up a testing flow at Philadelphia International Airport that allowed families to stay together. Many of these families consisted of 15 to 20 people. ICATT avoided family separation and anxiety during the testing process. Afghan children received new toys and snacks while being tested. Testing staff learned appropriate hand gesturing and waving to show cultural sensitivity. Afghan women had the option to swab in a curtained location when removing covering.
The airport testing program performed over 54,000 total tests during the arrival phase. These tests helped to prevent the spread of COVID-19 as Afghans relocated to safe haven sites to await permanent placement in the United States.
A welcome sign in English and Dari at the Washington Dulles International Airport
COVID-19 testing stations at Philadelphia International Airport
An Afghan guest receives a COVID-19 test at a Virginia safe haven site.
On August 29, 2021, President Biden directed the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to lead Operation Allies Welcome (OAW). The program supported the safe resettlement of Afghan asylum seekers who worked with coalition forces in Afghanistan.
During OAW’s resettlement phase (November 2021 through September 2022), Afghan allies entered temporary safe haven sites in Indiana, Virginia, New Jersey, and Maryland. They received full medical screening and access to mental health services at these sites.
ICATT contractors, eTrueNorth and Longview International Technology Solutions (LTS), performed routine COVID-19 testing as a part of their continuity of care. This serial testing limited the spread of COVID-19 at these sites. Limiting the spread of COVID-19 expedited the safe placement of Afghans in U.S. communities. The testing was also important to keep staff healthy and operations running smoothly. Contractors provided real-time data to federal agencies for immediate review. This rapid sharing of data supported quick decision-making. Testing efforts were scaled up during times of elevated positivity. eTrueNorth and LTS contractors met the increased testing demand often with less than a day’s notice.
eTrueNorth and LTS administered more than 76,000 COVID-19 tests to Afghan allies and 28,000 to support staff from August 2021 to September 2022. ICATT’s support of the inter-agency OAW is an example of a successful public-private partnership with CDC.
A tester demonstrates how the nasal sample is collected.
In early 2021, federal agencies asked CDC’s Increasing Community Access to Testing (ICATT) program to test unaccompanied children (UC) crossing the Southern border for COVID-19. Contractors performed testing at intake and while UC were temporarily housed in congregate settings.
ICATT expanded over the past 18 months and supports testing at nine locations along the U.S.-Mexico border. Locations include Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Customs and Border Protection (CBP) sites and HHS Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) facilities.
Following suggested CDC guidance, ICATT contractors administer point-of-care rapid antigen and nucleic acid amplification tests (NAAT) to mitigate potential outbreaks. In mid-October 2022, ICATT contractors administered their one-millionth test to UC and the staff members who care for them.