testing

Federal Officials to Offer ‘Surge' Coronavirus Testing to Help With Shortages, Ease Delays in Results

Temporary sites will be in Florida, Louisiana and Texas

In this June 27, 2020, file photo, medical personnel prepare to test hundreds of people lined up in vehicles in Phoenix's western neighborhood of Maryvale.
AP Photo/Matt York

Federal health officials are creating temporary "surge testing" spots to help control the spread of the coronavirus and ease hospitalizations in Florida, Louisiana and Texas.

As the COVID-19 epidemic shows no signs of slowing, there are many reports in hard-hit states of long lines for diagnostic coronavirus testing and significant delays in getting results, NBC News reports.

The goal is to help perform 5,000 tests daily in each city at no cost for people who believe they may have been exposed, whether they are showing symptoms or not.

"We want the results as quickly as possible," Dr. Brett Giroir, the assistant secretary of health and human services who oversees U.S. coronavirus testing, said at a briefing Tuesday. Turnaround time for the surge testing should be 48 hours once tests reach the lab, Giroir said. Patients should get results in four to five days.

Read the full story at NBCNews.com.

Contact Us