Starting next week the Sedgwick County Health Department is partnering up with a call center to help determine the spread of the coronavirus in Sedgwick county.

In a press release the county said during the week of June 8 they would be calling 1,600 randomly selected residents, regardless of symptoms, and ask them to get tested for the coronavirus.

The random testing will identify residents who have the coronavirus the day the nasopharyngeal (NP or nose) swab is collected. The tests will not determine whether a person has previously had the coronavirus and recovered.

Residents who participate will be asked to provide basic information followed by scheduling an appointment on either June 18, 19 or 20. On the day of the appointment, residents will go through the Sedgwick County Health Department drive-through site where the swab test will be collected. The swab will be sent to a laboratory for testing with results of the test coming in approximately three to four days later. The test if being offered at no cost to residents.

"Testing a random sample of residents is different from the COVID-19 testing currently provided at healthcare facilities. The current testing is performed on people who seek to be tested. Most have symptoms. The results do not necessarily reflect the true amount of COVID-19 in the Sedgwick County population," the county said.

A second random sample will be collected in mid-July. The two samples will be used to determine the spread of coronavirus in the county.