Colorado health officials have repeatedly stressed the need to ramp up testing as part of their fight to curtail the swift spread of the new coronavirus. But now, almost two weeks after its presence was confirmed here, the reach of COVID-19 has eclipsed Colorado’s ability to test for it.

Residents with symptoms report delays in getting test results or say they are unable to get checked for COVID-19, the highly infectious disease caused by the new coronavirus, unless they are among those most at risk for complications.

The state lab, which once had a turnaround of 24 hours, now takes up to five days to get results because of the high volume of samples it’s processing. While the state opened testing up to private companies last week, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment is still mostly relying on results from its lab. And it’s unclear how many patient samples the state’s health systems have sent to private labs.

Colorado is now seeking more testing kits from the federal government, as state and private labs across the nation raise concerns about a potential shortage in testing supplies, from special swabs used to collect samples to the reagents, or chemical ingredients, used to verify the presence of the new coronavirus.

And initial plans for widespread drive-thru testing sites across Colorado are no longer in the works. Instead, the state health department is narrowing testing by operating smaller sites in places such as Telluride and Routt County so that it can identify where there is community transmission.

“They’re not going to get a handle on this disease and contain the outbreak until we know who has the infection and who doesn’t,” said Bridget Mosley, who said her doctor told her she didn’t qualify for a test because she has no known exposure to COVID-19. Mosley is an epidemiology data analyst at the University of Colorado’s Anschutz Medical Campus.

So far, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment has tested 1,790 people in the state. Of those, 183 individuals have tested positive. On Tuesday, the state reported a second person has died from complications related to COVID-19.

Dr. Rachel Herlihy, the state epidemiologist, said officials are “working closely” with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to get more testing kits.

“We know we are hoping to get resources,” she said. “This (is a) challenging situation, unlike other disasters we’ve seen.”

Why testing for COVID-19 is important

It’s believed that the number of confirmed cases is just a fraction of the hundreds — if not thousands — of Coloradans with COVID-19, with Gov. Jared Polis warning the state is on the verge of a “tipping point” for community transmission.

“We need to dramatically increase our testing capacity,” Polis said during a news conference last week. “Frankly, we needed to increase our testing capacity months ago.”

State health officials have said increased testing will help them monitor the disease, and therefore, take steps to ease its affects on communities. It also allows those who test negative to return to work earlier.

Community transmission occurs when a person tests positive for the coronavirus but health officials can’t find a source for their exposure, such as travel or contact with an infected person.

The new coronavirus mainly spreads when an infected person coughs or sneezes, and those who are within six feet of an infected person are most at risk. Symptoms include a cough, fever and shortness of breath, according to the CDC.

To protect against the new coronavirus, it’s recommended that people wash their hands often with soap for at least 20 seconds. Individuals should also avoid touching their face and use a tissue or elbow to cover their coughs and sneezes, according to the CDC.

As state and health officials have confirmed community transmission of the new coronavirus, they have taken aggressive steps to curtail person-to-person transmission, such as ordering the closure of bars and other large gathering places across the state.

But state health officials have already said the number of cases in the state may reach a point where not everyone who shows symptoms can be tested.

“We don’t need the hurdles in place to get a test”

As Mosley, the epidemiology data analyst, became sick on March 4, she felt tired. Soon after she developed a cough and fever.

The 49-year-old spent the next two days mostly in bed with chills. She couldn’t get warm enough, she said.

At first Mosley thought she had the flu. But then she saw Colorado confirm its first cases of COVID-19 and so she called the state health department.

But they declined to test her, Mosley said, because she did not have contact with an infected person or recent travel overseas.

Until last week, Colorado’s state lab had to follow guidelines from the CDC on who to test. This limited testing to those who were sick and either had traveled overseas or had close contact with an infected person. But federal health officials now say prior contact with a patient or overseas travel is no longer a prerequisite to getting tested.

Days later, on March 13, Mosley tried again. This time a doctor told Mosley she still didn’t qualify for testing.

“We don’t need the hurdles in place to get a test,” Mosley said. “We’re in for a much longer haul than we anticipate.”

Overall, Colorado is focusing on testing those most vulnerable and in at-risk areas, said Gabi Johnston, a spokeswoman for the state health department, said in an email.

Those most at risk include individuals over 60 and people with underlying health issues, such as heart, lung or kidney diseases.

Johnston said the state lab is prioritizing testing to spot community transmission and potential outbreaks at health care and nursing home facilities. It is also testing those who are very ill and need tests results quicker than a company can provide.

“Patients who believe they should be tested can contact their doctor and determine if it’s appropriate for them to get tested at a private test facility,” Johnston said.

Elliot Joern, an Arvada resident, said he was able to get tested for the new coronavirus on March 9. But the 26-year-old said he has struggled to get his results from doctors and the state health department.

One doctor at Kaiser Permanente told Joern to call the state health department to find out if they ran his test, saying, “If they reviewed your records and determined you weren’t high risk they may have thrown the sample away,” according to an email exchange reviewed by The Denver Post.

Johnston said the Department of Public Health and Environment does not throw away test samples. A spokesperson with Kaiser did not respond to questions by deadline.

As of Tuesday, eight days after being tested, Joern still hadn’t heard from a doctor or the health department about his results.

“It’s just been a whole weird experience,” he said. “I would think during a pandemic that the state would be more on top of things.”

“Obviously there are limitations”

Herlihy, the state epidemiologist, said Colorado’s state lab does not have enough equipment and staff to test at the same rate as private companies, such as LabCorp.

“Obviously there are limitations,” she said during a call with reporters. “Limitations in supplies available. We are working to have more testing available.”

Scott Bookman, who is overseeing the state health department’s response to the new coronavirus, said on Monday it’s unclear how many tests are being run through private labs.

UCHealth is collecting samples from patients admitted to hospitals, those with compromised immune systems and health care workers who may have been exposed, said spokeswoman Paula Freund. But she could not say how many samples UCHealth has collected from patients.

The health system is sending patient samples to the state lab or an independent lab because of a shortage of supplies.

“UCHealth has the lab equipment needed to run tests, but the reagent supplies needed to run tests are not available,” Freund said in an email.

A spokeswoman for Centura Health directed questions about testing to the Department of Public Health and Environment.

A change with mobile testing

Colorado health officials moved quickly to expand the state’s testing capabilities by opening one of the nation’s first drive-thru testing sites in Denver last week.

The health department is working with the National Guard to open more drive-thru testing sites, including in the high country. But the health department is shifting gears and no longer focusing on mass testing with the mobile centers.

Instead, the new sites will be smaller, said Johnston, the health department spokewoman.

“Targeted testing sites help us learn more about how the virus is transmitting throughout our communities so the state can make informed policy decisions to limit and slow the spread,” she said in the email.

The move comes as the drive-thru center in Denver has struggled with hours-long lines that have forced it to close early. The testing site has not reopened since taking swabs from people in 200 cars at the Denver Coliseum on Saturday.

Heather Hodgson, of Wheat Ridge, is among those who waited in long lines at the drive-thru site on March 12.

The 46-year-old arrived at the site at 10:30 a.m and did not leave until 3:30 p.m. The line to get tested, she said, wrapped around multiple streets.

At one point, she said, a nearby bathroom was roped off with yellow tape by individuals in protective gear, preventing anyone else in line from using it.

On Monday, Hodgson learned she had tested positive for the new coronavirus. Health officials told her she can end her quarantine once her symptoms are gone for 72 hours. But Hodgson said she’s not comfortable making that decision.

“For a state that seems on the frontlines for even having testing ability, seems like a shift in the wrong direction,” she said. “They’re asking people to self-diagnose when they’re not infectious anymore.”

Staff writer Sam Tabachnik contributed to this report.

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