© Mike Wren,New York State Department of Health Coronavirus testing at New York State's Wadsworth Lab in Albany.

State and federal officials say there are simple, everyday steps you can take to avoid catching or spreading respiratory diseases, including COVID-19: Cover your coughs and sneezes, thoroughly wash or sanitize your hands and stay home if you are sick. Get more information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention at CDC.gov/coronavirus, or call 211, the Iowa Department of Public Heath's hotline, which is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Three private companies are testing for the coronavirus in Iowa, state public health officials said Thursday, a development that may delay results to the public but offset dwindling supplies at a state laboratory.

The Iowa Department of Public Health confirmed to the Des Moines Register that New Jersey-based Quest Diagnostics, North Carolina-based LabCorp and Utah-based ARUP Laboratories are receiving specimens that Iowa health care providers collect and mail in.

In the lead-up to the 2020 election, all eyes are on Iowa. Get updates of all things Iowa politics delivered to your inbox.

For weeks, the State Hygienic Laboratory at the University of Iowa was the sole lab testing for COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the virus. But the Coraville facility only had materials left to test about 150 people as of Thursday morning, a number that has dwindled from about 500 earlier this month.

"This was part of the transition period, as we move through developing those testing capabilities and informing the public about their options," said Ken Sharp, director of the public health department's division on acute disease prevention and emergency response.

The move means there will be a delay in Iowans knowing coronavirus test results. The State Hygienic Laboratory had about a 24-hour period for releasing results after testing. With the private companies, specimens must be sent out of state for confirmation. That process can take several days.

Since Iowa public health officials do not oversee private testing, they will not collect data on pending results. For weeks, Iowans have been able to keep updated on pending results through the department's website.

The companies will immediately alert state officials if there is a confirmed case of COVID-19, Sharp said.

The increase in private testing may open Iowans to coronavirus testing even if they don't show symptoms that follow Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines, which currently must include one of the following:

Individual has fever or respiratory symptoms, tests negative for influenza, and was in close contact with a person confirmed to be infected with COVID-19 in the 14 days prior to illness onset

Individual has a history of travel to a COVID-19 affected area in the 14 days prior to illness onset, alongside fever or respiratory symptoms and testing negative for influenza.

Individual has acute onset of severe respiratory illness such as pneumonia or acute respiratory distress syndrome, tests negative for influenza, and doesn't have history of travel to a COVID-19 affected area.

But Sharp said he could not comment on the new availability of coronavirus testing in Iowa, or how the private companies will determine symptom thresholds for testing.

Symptoms of the virus can include coughing, fever and shortness of breath. Older people and individuals with compromised immune systems are susceptible to more serious illness.

Rachel Carr, a spokeswoman for Quest Diagnostics, did not provide specific information about Iowa in an email, but she added about the company's nationwide capabilities: "We expect to be able to perform tens of thousands of tests a week within the next six weeks."

Peta Owens-Liston, an ARUP Laboratories spokesperson, told the Register in an email that the company works mostly with hospital labs: "We are scaling up to do 1,000 tests/day."

Owen-Liston said that Iowa health systems may be sending testing to ARUP but she did not immediately have numbers available. ARUP Laboratories has a dedicated page regarding its testing for the coronavirus.

Representatives for LabCorp did not immediately return a message seeking information. LabCorp also has information on its website about its testing capabilities.

It's unclear when the State Hygienic Laboratory will get more supplies for coronavirus testing. Anne Bassett, a spokeswoman for the State Hygienic Laboratory, told the Register Thursday morning that the facility is waiting for additional materials from the CDC. She did not provide a timeline for additional shipments.

As of Thursday evening, 16 people in Iowa have tested positive for the coronavirus. The state's public health website says more than 100 people have been tested, though that figure does not take into account any private testing. There are roughly 3 million people in Iowa.

The federal government is under increasing scrutiny about whether it has the capacity to conduct enough coronavirus testing. While more than 8,500 specimens have been tested for COVID-19 in the country, the number of patients is likely lower because multiple specimens are required for each person.

Federal officials claim more test-related materials are on the way to labs. Major insurance companies plan to waive co-pays associated with testing for the virus.

On Thursday, Dr. Anthony Fauci of the National Institutes of Health agreed that the U.S. needs to improve how it’s testing.

“The system is not really geared to what we need right now,” he said. “That is a failing. It is a failing, let’s admit it.”

During a news conference Tuesday, Gov. Kim Reynolds expressed confidence in the state's ability to test Iowans for the virus. She said Iowa will get more test supplies from the federal government, though she did not provide a timeline.

"We're in a good place," she said in response to the questions about testing.

Pat Garrett, a spokesman for the governor, did not respond Thursday to a request for comment.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Barbara Rodriguez covers health care and politics for the Register. She can be reached by email at bcrodriguez@registermedia.com or by phone at 515-284-8011. Follow her on Twitter @bcrodriguez.

This Your subscription makes work like this possible. Sign up at DesMoinesRegister.com/Deal.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Private labs are now testing for coronavirus in Iowa, as state lab sees dwindling supplies