Public health officials do not expect the long wait to happen again
Madison, Wiz. – Public health officials say long lines and a two- to three-hour wait to get a covid test at the All Levant Energy Center on Tuesday are inconsistent.
Ken Van Horn, director of the test site, said more COVID tests were performed Tuesday in an eight-hour period than anywhere else in the state of Wisconsin today. He said the sudden increase in demand is the result of many factors.
“Yesterday we had an unprecedented demand and we finished testing 3,150 people in eight hours. Yesterday was the first day of our new hours. We didn’t open on Monday for the first time since May 11, “Van Horn said.
At the end of the day, Van Horn said they turned to about 50 cars after reaching capacity.
Van Horn said the change in operating hours was to provide more accurate test results. He said there are a lot of people who are tested early in the week after thinking they might have been exposed on the weekends, which is usually not enough time to result in an accurate covid test. It becomes more likely that they can give accurate readings, Van Horn said Tuesday afternoon.
Van Horn also said he believes the high-profile individuals who have tested positive for Covid over the past several days contribute to the number of people who want to test national news attention.
Tuesday was also the first day that the Free Flu Schluft Clinic was operating simultaneously at the Levant Energy Center. Tess Allens, the public health site coordinator for vaccinations, said less than 50 people had come to get their flu shots and did not believe flu shot patients had much to do with backups. But, Allen mentions that many people who wanted to get a flu shot on Tuesday probably didn’t have to wait in long lines for those trying to get a covid test.
“Due to the demand for covid tests, we received little support for the flu vaccine,” Allens said. “We’ve done it today so it’s a different drive-through process. So the waiting time for the flu vaccine is much shorter than it was yesterday. ”
Van Horn said the National Guard conducted all Covid tests on Tuesday, conducting about 400 tests in an hour. He said public health officials are hiring more staff to gradually transition to guard members.
“We’re training 15 employees this week, we’re training 15 employees next week, we’re training some more in the next week,” Van Horn said. So it is not easy for them to give us the site. “
Van Horn said he did not expect Tuesday’s long-awaited time to happen again. The average wait time for a COVID test is usually about 30 minutes. Van Horn has suggested that those who want to take the COVID test should not be open on the first day of the week and should not come at the beginning of the day as it is their busy time. Van Horn suggests pre-registration before the show.
The new hours for the KVWID test at the Iant Liant Energy Center are on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 12 to 8 p.m., and on Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays from 8 to 4 p.m.
Van Horn suggests that only people who show symptoms or who think they have come in contact with someone who is positive for Covid should be tested to avoid long waits.
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