HOUSTON – When it comes to COVID-19 testing, some people are feeling frustrated with the experience.
“The mayor said we’re going to get new testing sites,” said Houston resident Mary Lisa Simpson. “We got them but what good is it going to do if we can’t get the results?”
Simpson said she got tested on Friday at Minute Maid Park in Lot C and was told the results would come in 24 to 36 hours.
“That was Friday, the 31st, so today is the third day and still no results,” said Simpson.
Simpson said her brother, who lives with her, recently tested positive and she’s not sure if what she’s feeling is just allergies. She’s hoping the test provides an answer.
“I would love to have my results,” Simpson said. “I want to go back to work.”
The Houston Health Department shared a statement from site operator DAVACO, which read, in part:
“Our lab is experiencing delays in results due to the influx of test volume. We understand this has caused notification delays. Due to this increase in demand, our lab is now working 24 hours a day.”
DAVACO’s statement also said for people who tested in the last five days, its lab is working as quickly as possible to process the results.
“Going forward, we have put a plan in place to get all results out to those who tested no later than 72 hours after their visit,” the statement said.
Other people shared frustrations with different testing sites, including Worthing High School.
“I ranted all the way home because I said this is ridiculous,” said parent Frances Coleman.
Coleman said her kids had an appointment and waited more than two hours before getting close enough to see the gate had locked.
“One of the officers said, ‘Oh, we have the system shut down. The system’s overloaded. The system’s shut down. They’ve been having this problem all day today. You know we’re really sorry, but you can’t get tested today,’” Coleman said.
A spokesperson for the Houston Independent School District said a system outage Sunday morning delayed testing by an hour at Worthing and Bellaire, but they haven’t provided any other details.