The Indiana Department of Health continues working to reduce the strain on COVID-19 testing labs. State Health Commissioner Dr. Kris Box said Wednesday that the high testing volume has led to longer wait times for results.
“We are seeing Optum turnaround times improving and working very hard to make sure that’s the case also with our local health department turnaround time,” Box said. “We don’t have a lot of control over the national labs, but we are truly redistributing labs across the State of Indiana, have looked and sent labs to an external lab in another state and are continuing to investigate every possibility.”
Another way the state is working to reduce the burden on labs is by using rapid BinaxNOW tests. Box said nearly 90,000 of the rapid tests have been distributed to local 50 local health departments, and the state is working to help others get the necessary authorization. “Having these rapid answers in symptomatic individuals allows local health departments to quickly inform the patient of the positive result and provide onsite instruction about isolation,” Box explained. “It also allows us to jumpstart the process of notifying close contacts of their need to quarantine to prevent further spread of infection.”
The rapid tests are only recommended for those experiencing symptoms, within seven days of their onset.
