Johns Hopkins APL, HoCo Work Together To Fight Disease

ELLICOTT CITY, MD — Howard County officials and Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Lab are teaming up to study and analyze infectious diseases and the use of emerging technologies in treatment and prevention. Johns Hopkins APL will serve as a technical advisor to review technologies and make recommendations to the county on the efficacy of those technologies in addressing infectious diseases.

The first priorities will be to determine the efficacy of serology testing and the use of air filtration systems that use high-intensity UV lighting to kill or neutralize bacteria and virus particles. Additionally, Howard County is partnering with Quality First Urgent Care to operate a diagnostic drive-thru testing site at Savage Volunteer Fire Department Monday through Saturday from 8 a.m. – 6 p.m. No appointment is needed, but is encouraged.

“Howard County has tested nearly 8 percent of our population, but our new goal is to reach at least 10 percent. Our partnership with Quality First Urgent Care allows us to deploy more accessible testing to Howard County residents, who will not need an appointment or doctor’s orders,” said Howard County Executive Calvin Ball. “We’re also looking forward to our partnership with Johns Hopkins APL, an organization that consistently leads with innovation. As we prepare our residents and business community for the length of this pandemic, this collaboration will help to identify emerging technologies that will better position Howard County to combat COVID-19.”

APL Director Ralph Semmel said staff are learning more about the best ways to fight the coronavirus every day.

"This partnership provides an opportunity to harness relevant data to develop useful technologies for that fight and support the county’s response to the global pandemic," he said.