Indiana’s state-sponsored coronavirus testing sites, including one in Columbus, are seeing a slowdown in how fast test results are coming back due to a national increase in demand for test processing and supplies as COVID-19 cases surge across much of the country.
State contractor OptumServe Health Services was expected to have 50 testing sites operating around Indiana by the end of May, providing 100,000 free tests a month and providing results within an average of 48 hours, state officials said.
Over the past week, however, the average turnaround time for COVID-19 test results at these sites has increased to “just under 64 hours” compared to the 52-hour average turnaround time since May 6, said Indiana State Health Department spokeswoman Megan Wade-Taxter.
State officials have blamed the slower results on a nationwide increase in demand for test processing and supplies at two third-party labs OptumServe uses to analyze specimens — LabCorp and Exact Science.
OptumServe operates a testing site at 2160 Arnold St. near Columbus Municipal Airport.
“From the beginning of the pandemic, the turnaround time for testing has varied depending on the availability of supplies and lab capacity,” Wade-Taxter said. “…OptumServe uses LabCorp and Exact Science to analyze specimens. Both labs are currently experiencing heavy volume and longer turnaround times due to national increases in testing around the country.”
LabCorp said in a statement on its website that the increase in demand for testing across the country may roughly double or triple its turnaround time for test results.
“Until recently, we have been able to deliver test results back to patients on average between one to two days from the date of specimen pickup,” the company said in a statement on July 8. “But with significant increases in testing demand and constraints in the availability of supplies and equipment, the average time to deliver results may now be four to six days from specimen pickup. For hospitalized patients, the average time for results is faster.”
The increased turnaround time comes as Americans across the country are confronted with a resurgence of the coronavirus, which has dramatically increased in many states, many of which aggressively lifted virus restrictions to reopen their economies, The Associated Press reported.
Testing has been ramped up nationwide, reaching about 640,000 tests per day on average, up from around 518,000 two weeks ago, according to an The Associated Press analysis.
While the U.S. has conducted more tests than any other nation, it ranks in the middle of the pack in testing per capita, behind Russia, Spain and Australia, according to Johns Hopkins University.
Testing alone without adequate contact tracing and quarantine measures won’t control the spread of the virus, according to health experts. But they say delays in testing can lead to more infections by leaving people not knowing whether they need to isolate themselves.
“If it takes an additional two to five days to confirm someone has COVID, it means the individual could potentially spread the virus to others before getting their lab result,” Brian Dixon, a professor at Indiana University’s Fairbanks School of Public Health said. “If we ask these individuals to stay home until their lab result comes back, people will be forced to be off work for a longer period of time while they wait for their results.”
So far, Indiana’s testing program has not been meeting the levels of testing or the speed of results that were touted when it was started in May, according to wire reports.
As of last week, the company had performed about 102,000 tests for the public at its sites, said Indiana state health commissioner Dr. Kristina Box last week. That means OptumServe has just recently passed the 100,000 test mark that it had been expected to reach in May.
In addition, Box said last week that the company had 35 of the 50 planned testing sites open, with results averaging 59 hours and sometimes up to 80 hours to become available.
In May, the state agreed to a $17.9 million contract for the OptumServe testing, which officials hoped would be covered by federal grants.
State officials are reviewing the company’s May invoice and expects payment to be between $7 million and $8 million. The cost is dependent on number of tests run and number of testing locations, with an invoice for June not yet submitted.
The state health department expects to continue its contract with OptumServe through August and to continue to evaluate whether to proceed further with the program.
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Visit www.coronavirus.in.gov/2524.htm for more information about COVID-19 testing in Indiana.
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