Arizona's health officials are planning to ramp up coronavirus testing by opening community testing sites for COVID-19, the illness caused by the new virus, sometime "this week," they said at a press conference Monday afternoon.

Limited testing is troubling for Arizona doctors who expect to see a surge in cases as the illness spreads among the community. The Arizona Medical Association issued a statement of concern Friday.

"The Arizona Medical Association has heard from several of its physician members over the past few days with concerns of being properly prepared and having enough equipment to collect COVID-19 samples," the association said in a statement to The Arizona Republic.

"We have been working with appropriate local and state agencies to ensure that Arizona's physicians receive the proper amount of support as we prepare for an increase in needed tests for diagnosis of COVID-19."

So far in Arizona, testing — which global health officials consider key to slowing the spread of the disease — has been limited to people most at risk of the illness, according to Dr. Cara Christ, director of the Arizona Department of Health Services.

That will change when testing sites open this week, Christ said.The news is a major step for Arizona and the number of positive tests is expected to spike significantly as a result.

"More sites and more information will be available later this week," Christ said. "And we will notify the public of the locations of those sites and where those services are available."

Testing was initially limited across the U.S. but has been expanding in other states, too, with some jurisdictions opening up drive-through screening and testing.

Patients have so far needed a doctor's recommendation to get a test, but Christ said Monday she has issued a "standing order" that will allow Banner Health in partnership with Sonora Quest Laboratories to test anyone who is having symptoms.

Patients wanting the test will have to attest that they are having symptoms andthat they will quarantine themselves until they get the test results, she said.

Symptoms of COVID-19 include fever, cough and shortness of breath, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Cost of tests not yet determined

Christ and other health officials said that unlike the tests by the state laboratory for high-risk patients, which are free, the cost of the tests for others has not been determined.

"More sites and more information will be available this week and we will notify the public of the locations of those sites and where those services are available," Christ said. "This will expand testing to more Arizonans."

Additional health care facilities could begin offering tests as well, she said.

The Arizona State Public Health Laboratory will also continue to test high-priority samples that are sent from county public health officials, she said.

The state lab began testing March 2 and has only tested 200 people in two weeks, with 125 ruled out and another 63 tests pending. Of the 18 patients who have tested positive in the state, 12 were tested by the state and another 6 were tested by private labs.

It's unknown how many tests have been run by private labs.

In addition to the Banner sites, the Translational Genomics Research Institute has begun "population screening" of people who suspect they might be sick with the coronavirus. The TGen testing has had a capacity to run about 200 tests a day but by next week it should have a capacity to test about 1,000 a day, according to Jeffrey Trent, TGen president and research director.

Also, the Mayo Clinic has set up a mobile unit to collect samples for testing of its own patients.

"We are also supporting other providers in the Valley, sharing what we have learned, as they look to open their own alternative testing locations," Mayo said in a statement.

LabCorp, another testing laboratory, also is able to test samples collected by doctors and sent to the company, with results available in 3-4 days, according to the company. The cost is $51.31 for all customers, carriers, and patients, according to the company.

"LabCorp is working every second of every day to increase the number of tests that we can run," the company said in a statement. "We have been working closely with the government and others to increase test capacity and respond to this public health crisis."

'You cannot fight a fire blindfolded'

News of stepped-up testing in Arizona came on the same day that the World Health Organization said some countries are not doing enough testing to slow the spread of the disease.

Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the director-general of the WHO, praised "social distancing" efforts like those that are now widespread in Arizona as well as around the globe, including school closures and canceled sporting events.

"But we have not seen an urgent enough escalation in testing, isolation and contact tracing — which is the backbone of the response," he said Monday from the WHO headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland.

"You cannot fight a fire blindfolded, and we cannot stop this pandemic if we don’t know who is infected," he said. "We have a simple message for all countries: Test, test, test. Test every suspected case."

When someone tests positive, they need to be isolated and everyone that had contact with them up to two days before they showed symptoms needs to also be tested, he said.

Christ said the state also set up a hotline for patients and health care workers with questions about the illness. It is 844-542-8201.

Reach reporter Ryan Randazzo at ryan.randazzo@arizonarepublic.com or 602-444-4331. Follow him on Twitter @UtilityReporter.

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