ATLANTA — Amid the recent exploding growth of COVID-19 across the state and the push to expand statewide testing, Georgians have flocked to state sites to try and get tested for the virus. But the long lines and delays in results have led to frustrations.
In an email answering questions from 11Alive, the Georgia Department of Public Health said it recognizes the issues and is taking steps to try and alleviate the delays.
According to the Georgia Department of Public Health, the wait times for lab results in Georgia have climbed as the demand has increased over the last few weeks. The DPH said that turnaround time for test results depends on the lab that the specimens are sent to for processing.
Right now, some Health districts are sending their specimens to private companies LabCorp or Quest, which are processing tests in about five to 10 days, the DPH said. Another private lab, Ipsum Diagnostics, is processing tests in about two to four days, the state said. However, the state said its own public health labs are processing tests much quicker - in about 24 to 36 hours.
Though the Georgia Public Health Labs have faster turnaround times, the DPH said it was not designed to process a large number of tests from Specimen Point of Collection (SPOC) sites. Additionally, the state said the state lab was only being used to process tests coming from long-term care facilities, early sources of outbreaks across the state.
Now, the DPH said it has upgraded the lab ordering process and are sending specimens from some health districts to the Georgia Public Health Lab to "reduce dependency on commercial labs."
In addition, the state said it hopes to bring another commercial lab on board to increase the state's surge capacity for processing tests.
"We hope to have that contract in place soon, which will help decrease the turnaround time for test results," the DPH said.
According to the state, there are currently 170 DPH SPOC sites across the state. Though it is trying to expand testing capacity, the DPH reminded that other medical partners are now offering testing at doctor's offices, hospitals, urgent care facilities and some pharmacies.
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We will track the most important coronavirus elements relating to Georgia on this page. Refresh often for new information.
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