LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — After countless phone calls to follow up on COVID-19 test results, a Las Vegas woman says she waited nearly the entire suggested two week quarantine period for an answer.
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“It took twelve days for me to get my results, and then two days later my children's results came in,” says Michele Tell.
Tell checked day and night with Quest Diagnostics to see if there was any update on her test.
“The online Quest portal I would check ten times a day,” says Tell. “Then we found ourselves also calling the facility ten times a day, and I felt the more aggressive I was , the more possibly my results would come in.”
Tell and her children all tested negative.
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Those labs physically trying to determine a positive or negative result are also trying to keep up with demand.
Quest Diagnostics says that "demand for COVID-19 molecular testing continues to outpace quest’s capacity and is highest in the south, southwest and west regions of the country.”
Lab Corp tells 13 Action News that they’ve been able to process 165,000 tests per day, with plans to increase.
A spokesperson said that they’ve “reduced the average time to deliver results to 3-5 days from specimen pickup.”
“My heart bleeds for those who have to go back into work but can’t because they’re waiting for their results,” says Tell.
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Clark County officials announced Wednesday that since May 5, a total of 115,261 COVID-19 tests have been taken at various testing sites in the Las Vegas alley.
On Wednesday, 2,930 tests were done.
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