Image Credit: Kent Simmonds / CFJC Today

By Dylana Kneeshaw

COVID-19 TESTING

Surge in COVID-19 testing demand leads to wait time delays in Interior

Oct 14, 2020 | 4:15 PM

KAMLOOPS — In recent weeks, the amount of COVID-19 testing inquiries through Interior Health has grown, with more and more residents calling to make a testing appointment.

Since the start of the pandemic, BC Centre for Disease control data shows there have been more than 80,000 tests conducted within the Interior.

Interior Health Medical Health Officer Dr. Carol Fenton says IH is experiencing delays in testing wait times due to a surge in demand.

“In Kamloops specifically, we used to get 30-to-50 calls a day and we’re getting about 300 calls a day now. So you can appreciate that increase in volume.”

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The increase is partly led by the resumption of school and many workplaces requiring a negative test before a symptomatic employee can return to work.

“Part of that is driven by seasonal changes such as allergies or more circulating viruses that are causing COVID-like symptoms.”

Dr. Fenton notes that testing delays aren’t related to the actual lab work. It’s seen by the public in the time it takes to get an appointment and the time it takes to hear what your result was.

“The information we do have that shows the time from the swab collected to the result is on average 48 hours, and we aim to always have those results within 72,” she explains. “Most of the positive results come back within 24 hours.”

There were more than 500 new cases reported province-wide after the Thanksgiving long weekend. However Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry stated yesterday (Oct. 13), that was partly inflated by a backlog of about 6,000 tests.

“These tests identified new community cases and exposures. Which tells us that our testing strategy is working and that the backlog has now been cleared and we are working to make sure it stays that way.”

CFJC Today spoke with several Kamloops residents today, and many who went in for a test say the wait time to hear back wasn’t much longer than expected.

“I got tested right away, the results came through in three days, and it was negative,” stated one woman.

Another says the test itself wasn’t particularly comfortable, but the wait time wasn’t overly long. “I got tested right away, the results came through in three days, and it was negative.”

And one man says his bubble is small and relatively low-risk, but he’s aware the virus hasn’t gone anywhere.

“I went to the hospital about a week ago — negative.”

Interior Health says it’s working hard to keep wait times to a minimum and will need the community to exercise patience when a test is needed.