Testing moves forward in Yuma as tens of thousands of COVID tests backlogged

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) - One of the state's largest labs - Sonora Quest - has a backlog of tens of thousands of COVID-19 tests.  It's unclear when the lab will get caught up.

Meanwhile, Sunset Health hosted another testing blitz Saturday morning, but there's no way of telling when those patients will get their results. 

Lucy Murrieta is the Community Relations Outreach Director.

“We understand that there is a big demand going on throughout the community so doing events like this, it helps with that demand,” Murrieta said.

As coronavirus numbers begin to level off in Arizona, a new concern has arisen.

“You have to understand that there were people was getting tested about 12,000 people every day, so that you know right there really push us out the timing of getting the results back.”

On Thursday, Sonora Quest labs reported it had 61,700 unprocessed tests. The lab says most results are now coming back within nine and 12 days. Although,  real-time reports indicate it can take two weeks or even longer.

Arizona Governor Doug Ducey addressed the lag time Thursday, during his weekly coronavirus briefing. 

“There is a backlog, that is also a fact. The private labs have been swamped. And we're in a bit of a dilemma,” said the Governor.

The lack of test results makes contact tracing nearly impossible. 

Dr. Cara Christ is the Arizona Department of Health Services Director.

“With a backlog that is something that we're working on so we always fall back to the date of collection because we believe that that's the closest evidence to when somebody was sick is the day that they go and get that lab drawn if they had symptoms so it will be backdated what we tend to see is as it goes back into the date that it was it actually adds to the number of tests but then the percent positivity decreases. Because we do that not only for positive labs, but for negative labs that are put in.” Dr. Christ explained.

Ducey says that will change.  Earlier this month the governor and Sonora Quest announced they were investing millions of dollars in new equipment that would drastically increase testing capacity, as well as shorten the turnaround time.

With the new equipment and manpower, Sonora Quest hopes to turn test results over in about 24 to 48 hours. Although, we won’t see that until sometime in August.