DHEC addresses Covid-19 test backlog
CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCBD) – Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) officials say there’s a massive backlog in reporting Covid-19 test results.
DHEC officials say they’re getting back on track after a busy few weeks on the Covid-19 front that’s led to no results being released between January 20th to January 25th causing trouble for hospitals and people waiting for treatment.
“We do sincerely apologize for this delay because we know that many of our residents in South Carolina look for this daily information to track the pandemic in our state,” says Dr. Brannon Traxler, the DHEC Director of Public Health.
Dr. Traxler with DHEC says after 5 days of a backlog in releasing Covid-19 test results and percent positive cases, staff has been working non-stop to update thousands of test results into a single software format which caused the backlog last week.
“These test are in high demand, these rapid at home antigen test. that said it is important to know that this is not the only testing resource available to people in South Carolina,” says Traxler.
Doctors with Trident Medical Center say they have seen more patients coming to the emergency room looking for Covid-19 tests and results.
“This has left people with a lot of confusion and it ends up being a difficult conversation in the emergency department. People are looking for confirmation or a rapid-test and we just don’t have the ability to do that,” says Dr. Kenneth Perry, Assistant Medical Director of Emergency Department with Trident Medical Center.
Lowcountry hospitals are seeing the backlog affects on their patients who are looking for the quickest way to receive test results.
“The way that this has been so different than other times through this whole entire pandemic,” says Dr. Perry.
Health leaders say with more than 140,000 at home Covid-19 tests recently received they are hoping to give people faster results within the next coming days.
“We evaluate what went wrong, how we can fix it, and how we can learn based on those to make changes that are necessary from them happening again. We have done that in the last 24 hours even,” says Dr. Traxler.
The department has recently ordered an additional 2 million at home Covid-19 tests from vendors across the country. DHEC says they are expected to come in within the next few weeks.
