Increase in COVID-19 testing is causing some delays for results, health experts say

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- The number of daily COVID-19 test administered across the country has surged, and that may be why people in Kentucky and Indiana are waiting even longer for results.

Almost nobody knows than Jeffersonville attorney Larry Wilder, who temporarily closed the doors to his office after an employee tested positive for the coronavirus. Since then, everyone in the office has been tested.

So far, everyone who has been tested has come back with negative results, Wilder said, but it wasn't immediate.

"Four to six days is what they told me," he said.

But with even more people being tested across the country as case numbers climb, getting tests results won't happen overnight.

"In early May, we were testing about 150 people a day. And this last Saturday, we tested over 3,300 people," said Dr. James M. Frazier, vice president of medical affairs at Norton Healthcare. "So, as you can imagine, as you multiply that out over every organization across the country, you're going to see some increased burden and demand on these national labs."

Frazier said COVID-19 tests done at Norton Facilities in Kentucky and Indiana are processed internally.

"Those labs are typically taking 24 to 48 hours," he said.

But testing done at the pop-up sites are sent to a national lab, and turnaround times vary.

"They were around two or three days or three or four days early on. That's when there wasn't quite as much demand. But we are seeing up to seven to 10 days now," Frazier said. "The fastest way to get your results is to sign up for the My Norton Chart, and you'll get the results electronically as soon as they come into the lab, and they go directly to your chart."

From the start of the pandemic, Norton Healthcare has provided pop-up testing sites in locations across Kentuckiana. Since the testing started, Norton Healthcare has tested more than 45,000 people.

"What we're trying to do is provide access to those populations who are not able to travel as easily as others," Frazier said. "It's part of our mission to serve everyone in our community, particularly those who are at higher risk."

Wilder doesn't know when he'll get his COVID-19 test results, but until then, he'll be working from home.

"Nobody is going to come back in until after they've had a negative test result," he said. "We want to do everything we can to stay safe."

Health officials said even after getting a negative COVID-19 test result, it is still important to follow guidelines fro the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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