COVID-19 test results taking longer as state sees 'fairly dramatic increase' in demand in recent weeks

Earlier in the pandemic turnaround times were up to a mere 48 hours.

Dr. Dale Bratzler, chief quality officer at OU Medicine, said there has been a “fairly drastic increase” in the number of tests being done during the last several weeks.

“Some of the reference labs, particularly those that send testing out of state, have had some challenges, and some have had delays of seven to 10 days,” Bratzler said during a virtual briefing for the media on Wednesday.

“There are spots in the state where it looks like the delay from the day the test is taken to when the result comes out has gone out longer, and that likely reflects either problems with personnel or the actual reagents you need to run the tests.”

In May, about 6,500 specimens were collected per week. In June, it was about 6,800 specimens per week, according to Oklahoma State Department of Health data collected by the Tulsa World.

In July, an average of 12,275 COVID-19 specimens have been collected weekly.

Bratzler said weekly positivity rates for testing have fluctuated around 10%, a far cry from the low rates seen in May. There was only a 1.8% positivity rate the week of May 25.

“When you see a higher percent positive test rate, that means there is community spread of the virus,” Bratzler said. “It is true in Oklahoma now, particularly over the last few weeks, we’ve seen a fairly dramatic increase in the number of tests done, and there’s a big demand to get tests because a lot of people are calling these centers and asking to get tests done.”

And demand is likely to see another increase as schools and colleges look toward the fall semester. Oklahoma State University, the University of Tulsa and the University of Oklahoma will require students moving into dorms to be tested.

OSU will also require students moving into Greek housing to be tested, and TU will require tests of all students who plan to take in-person classes.

Some public school districts are still weighing whether to return to in-person instruction. Some have developed hybrid plans. And some have planned to head directly back to class.

“Delayed testing results can have a significant impact on our ability to isolate a patient with a positive test, and to do the appropriate contact tracing, testing, and isolation of anyone around that person who may have been exposed or infected,” Bratzler said. “To appropriately do contact tracing, you need to intervene as soon as you can after the positive test is reported.”

While public health officials have acknowledged some difficulty in acquiring reagents, the materials used to test specimens, the human component to testing could be the greater cause for delays.

Tulsa Health Department Director Bruce Dart, during a COVID-19 briefing last week, said the department and laboratories would “love to expand capacity.”

“They have to have the reagents and materials to do that, but, more importantly, we have to have the bodies to expand capacity,” Dart said. “We can get the material, but we have to have people who can actually run the test.”

Oklahoma has made significant leaps in its testing capabilities. In the early days in March, the state had only 500 test kits on hand.

As of Tuesday, medical personnel and lab technicians in the state had conducted more than 613,000 tests, and the mantra has shifted from testing only the most vulnerable populations to testing everyone, regardless of symptoms.

State Health Commissioner Lance Frye, during a COVID-19 briefing earlier this month, said the state is working to expand testing capacity.

“Our public health professionals are working around the clock to identify cases and hot spots and are responding with increased testing and support in those areas as needed,” Frye said then.

State Health Department staff and laboratory personnel meet weekly on the matter and have been discussing how to increase capacity for testing. Bratzler said labs are acquiring additional testing equipment and expanding testing site access. Additionally, federal regulators are reviewing rapid, home-based kits.

“It is possible that there will be low-cost alternatives to laboratory testing by the end of the year,” Bratzler said. “These home tests are not quite as sensitive as lab-based tests but are inexpensive enough to be done frequently.”

Video: Tulsa Mayor G.T. Bynum gives an update on the city’s COVID-19 situation.

COVID-19 basics everyone needs to know as the pandemic continues.