Major commercial labs in the United States report delays in returning Covid-19 test results as the pandemic continues and the number of cases increases in some parts of the country.
While the amount of testing conducted in the US is increasing, experts say long response times can make it difficult to isolate confirmed cases and quickly quarantine close contacts.
Quest Diagnostics, a commercial laboratory, said this week that demand for tests has reached “unprecedented levels,” leading to delays. LabCorp, another lab, is also reporting delays.
While Quest can provide one-day results for priority patients, including sick healthcare workers and people in the hospital, the company said its average response time is three to five days for most other patients.
“The demand for COVID-19 molecular diagnostic tests reaches unprecedented levels, extending response times,” said a Quest statement.
“In our media statement released June 25, we communicate that we are experiencing increasing demand for our COVID-19 molecular diagnostic testing services. We also communicate that this lawsuit is likely to extend average response times to report test results in the short term, ”the company said. “Since that statement, we have continued to experience increasing demand for these services, with recent daily orders exceeding capacity.”
That’s the latest information available from Quest, according to company spokesman Kimberly Gorode.
LabCorp is now taking an extra day or two to report the results, the company told CNN in a statement on Saturday. The company’s current response time is two to four days on average.
“In the past few weeks, we have seen a steady increase in demand for molecular testing and we are doing everything we can to continue delivering results in a timely manner while continually increasing testing capacity,” said LabCorp.
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