The labs say they can now test more people who are not already hospitalized or in other high-priority categories.
According to a spokesperson for the ACLA, an industry trade group, orders from physician's offices have been on the decline. Though delays and backlogs were a major problem as clinical labs worked to ramp up testing for weeks, there are no more backlogs at ACLA member labs.
Most state health departments have been telling doctors that high-risk patients, health care workers and people with severe symptoms should be prioritized for testing. That advice, which was in line with the Centers for Disease Control's guidance about which patients should be given priority, was based on a shortage of testing capacity.has been increasing. Quest Diagnostics, one of the largest clinical testing companies in the U.S., can now perform approximately 45,000 a day.
The company will be expanding its prioritization program, which was designed to fast-track patients in the CDC's top priority class — hospitalized patients and symptomatic healthcare workers. Given the drop in demand, Quest can now fast-track patients in the other two top categories listed in the. The second category includes symptomatic patients who are first responders, seniors, or nursing home residents, or who have underlying conditions."Priority 3" includes all symptomatic patients, mildly symptomatic patients in hard-hit communities, and asymptomatic health-care workers and first responders.
The labs still do not have the capacity for mass testing of asymptomatic members of the general public. Challenges to increase the capacity still more include shortages of testing swabs, reagents and other supplies.Laura Strickler is an investigative producer in the NBC News Investigative Unit based in Washington.
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