Name: Iowa health care workers anxiously await their Test Iowa results; Gov. Kim Reynolds confirms backlog
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Iowa health care workers anxiously await their Test Iowa results; Gov. Kim Reynolds confirms backlog

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Des Moines RegisterView CommentsCOVID-19 results from Gov. Kim Reynolds’ first Test Iowa&nbsp;site are delayed, according to health care workers who say they were tested at the program’s launch site nearly a week ago and still don't know if they have the respiratory illness.Reynolds acknowledged the delay, attributing it to a "backlog&nbsp;in the data entry process" that is part of the state's system for reporting COVID-19 cases."For Iowans who are still waiting for their&nbsp;results, we are sorry for the delay," she said at a news conference Friday&nbsp;"But you will receive your results this weekend."&nbsp;The&nbsp;health care workers told the Register during separate interviews&nbsp;that they were swabbed for the respiratory illness at&nbsp;a parking lot at the&nbsp;. Each was told by email afterward that their results from the drive-thru testing would be available “within three business days.”But on Friday — five business days later and nearly one week after being tested&nbsp;— both said they are still waiting for their results. Neither received more information about the delay until Reynolds' public remarks at her daily news conference.► More:The Register spoke to the workers on the condition of anonymity because they either fear retribution from their employers or they're concerned about worrying people they interact with at work.“I know there has to be patience when you're rolling out a new program on a large scale,” said one Des Moines area nurse who was tested last Saturday. “But I'm frustrated, as a nurse, because for this to work from an infection-control perspective, it has to be timely.”Reynolds has said in recent days that the State Hygienic Laboratory in Coralville is&nbsp;double-checking the accuracy of Test Iowa testing&nbsp;. The same company that runs Utah's testing effort runs Iowa's."I want to assure Iowans ...&nbsp;this is a short-term issue while the lab is transitioning to accommodate not only a higher volume of tests on an ongoing basis, but as they work through the validation of the Test Iowa&nbsp;process," she said on Friday. "As with any new test, validation is a normal process of that process, and it takes time, and this is causing some delay in the Test Iowa results."The number of COVID-19 cases in Iowa continues to climb.&nbsp;The Iowa Department of Public Health announced on Friday that&nbsp;739 more people in Iowa have tested positive for COVID-19, .&nbsp;More than&nbsp;7,800 people statewide have tested positive for the illness as of Friday.Other surrounding states, like and , have also reported large increases in COVID-19 cases in recent days as testing expands in those areas.Reynolds cautioned that due to the "large number of tests" conducted recently: "We do anticipate the overall numbers that will be reported this weekend ... they may be higher than usual."Reynolds&nbsp;has argued that the increased testing is one of the reasons she began&nbsp;to reopen parts of Iowa’s economy amid the pandemic. On Friday, some businesses in 77 of Iowa’s 99 counties .Michael Pentella, director of the state lab, said through a spokesman on Friday that the volume of COVID-19 testing at the lab "has grown significantly over the past month" as testing was expanded. The lab's work also includes&nbsp;blood-based testing aimed at identifying whether people have been exposed to the virus.Pentella said the lab has&nbsp;ongoing work to validate the Test Iowa equipment, which he described as "a routine part of bringing new equipment online, and will complete that process as soon as possible."Pentella also said the lab is processing Test Iowa-related&nbsp;specimens "using all the means at its disposal and fully expects to be fully caught up by this weekend, barring unexpected problems."A health care worker and pharmacy student who works at a pharmacy in&nbsp;the Des Moines area&nbsp;said she is not showing symptoms of the virus as of Friday and doesn't suspect she has COVID-19. But she wants to know if she has it because she lives with someone who could be highly susceptible to the virus.The pharmacy student, who was also tested for the virus last Saturday,&nbsp;noted that some health care workers are&nbsp;carriers of the virus but are not showing symptoms."If we're getting results a week or more out,&nbsp;I'm wondering how many people actually have tested positive and have exposed extra people by now," she said.Both health care workers shared documentation with the Register that shows their individual communication with Test Iowa organizers and the organizers’ commitment to a quick turnaround on test results.Reynolds made the same promise&nbsp;on April 21, through a public-private partnership with Utah-based companies. The program's organizers, which secured a $26 million no-bid contract with the state,&nbsp;have committed&nbsp;to eventually test up to 3,000 Iowans per day through the initiative.“Individuals are swabbed, samples are sent to a lab, and results are returned electronically within 48 to 72 hours,” Reynolds said at a news conference at the time.The pharmacy student watched Reynolds' news conference that&nbsp;day. After she completed a health assessment online that allowed her to schedule a test, she was also told in an email: "You should have test results approximately 72 hours after you have been tested."After her test on Saturday, she received another email that changed the timeline to&nbsp;"three business days,"&nbsp;which further extended her wait time."It was a little contradictory," the pharmacy student said. At this point, she considers the results delayed either way. "I just want to know if I'm the only one that has a problem," she said.The scope of the backlog is unclear. Reynolds said&nbsp;more than 870&nbsp;people had been tested through the Test Iowa program as of Wednesday.&nbsp;That same day,&nbsp;.&nbsp;There are plans for additional sites in the next few days, including a site on Monday in Woodbury County.More than 240 people were scheduled to be tested during the two-day weekend launch of the Des Moines Test Iowa site, according to Reynolds' staff.Pat Garrett, a spokesman for Reynolds,&nbsp;declined to specify how many Test Iowa results&nbsp;are still pending or other details about results generated from other testing days. Garrett would only confirm:&nbsp;"We have reported the results of some Test Iowa tests."Barbara Rodriguez covers health care and politics for the Register. She can be reached by email at bcrodriguez@registermedia.com or by phone at 515-284-8011. Follow her on Twitter .Your subscription makes work like this possible. Sign up at&nbsp;.View Comments

Des Moines RegisterView CommentsCOVID-19 results from Gov. Kim Reynolds’ first Test Iowa&nbsp;site are delayed, according to health care workers who say they were tested at the program’s launch site nearly a week ago and still don't know if they have the respiratory illness.Reynolds acknowledged the delay, attributing it to a "backlog&nbsp;in the data entry process" that is part of the state's system for reporting COVID-19 cases."For Iowans who are still waiting for their&nbsp;results, we are sorry for the delay," she said at a news conference Friday&nbsp;"But you will receive your results...

Iowa health care workers anxiously await their Test Iowa results; Gov. Kim Reynolds confirms backlog

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