NEW ORLEANS — A COVID-19 testing center was completely booked 30 minutes before opening Wednesday morning, showing the continued impact of a national supply shortage on testing materials.
For the third day in a row, the community coronavirus testing site at Dillard University ran out of testing supplies very early on in the morning. On Monday, they filled their schedule for the available 150 tests just five minutes after opening.
Long lines formed outside the testing center prior to opening Wednesday morning as people tried to secure their spot for a test.
New Orleans Medical Director Dr. Jennifer Avegno is now urging that people only sign up to be tested if they have had direct contact with a confirmed COVID-19 patient or are showing symptoms.
Avegno said the city has seen the shortage coming since last week. Unlike the testing shortage a couple of months ago, this one is not a shortage of materials to give tests, but more a shortage of materials needed to process them once taken.
"The issue appears to be a national one," said Avegno. She said anyone who went to Dillard Monday and was turned away was given information about other places they could go for testing, but she said those sites are also having some issues with capacity.
Avegno said that in addition to raw material shortages to make the supplies, many of the supplies come from overseas and there are supply chain issues.
"We have no idea how long this will last," she said.
Avegno said that the national standard of testing 4 to 5 percent of a city's population per month would have New Orleans doing 500 tests per day. She said the city is close to 800 tests per day right now and she wants to be able to keep it at that level.
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