Backlogged NY lab struggles to accommodate coronavirus tests
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A New York laboratory is overwhelmed from mandated coronavirus testing, and officials have asked health officers to stop sending in shipments, one report says.
The state health department’s Wadworth Center in Albany has reached capacity and officials are struggling to process the tests, according to The New York Post.
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“While Wadsworth is primarily a research lab, it has been operating 24/7 to be able to test more than 6,000 nursing home residents, staff and everyday New Yorkers this week alone — in addition to New York State giving open access to the 31-state run testing sites to nursing home staff,” DOH spokesman Gary Holmes told the New York Post.
The surge in tests occurred after Gov. Andrew Cuomo released new rules on Sunday mandating nursing home facilities to test its workers twice each week. If the nursing homes do not comply, Cuomo vowed they would lose their licenses.
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County health officers were reportedly asked to find alternative plans in sending shipments to laboratories. Livingston County’s top health officer was turned down from shipping 800 nasal swab tests on Wednesday because Wadsworth was experiencing a delay by “several weeks”, according to the Post.
County Public Health Director Jennifer Rodriguez told the Post she was worried tests would expire. Dutchess County was also told to find alternative plans after scheduling a shipment of 950 tests to Albany.
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Wadsworth advised Dutchess County officials testing efforts could not be accommodated and to find a private lab to send the shipments. County Executive Marc Molinaro told the Post “this is nothing short of inexcusable.”
Albany County was reportedly told Wadsworth is prioritizing nursing home residents’ tests but does not have room for tests from staffers.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Holmes told the Post the state is authorizing commercial labs with the capacity to run tens of thousands of tests each day to support the effort.