Test sites operate to meet increasing demand – CBS Denver

DENVER (CBS4) – Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment along with state testing groups say there has been a steady increase in recent weeks as the Delta variant continues to deliver COVID- 19 more contagious. Testing services say the demand for travel-related results quickly turned into demands on schools and student activities.

(credit: CBS)

“The demand for testing has definitely increased and we are working hard to achieve it,” said Suzane Ferdows, regional director of COVID Check Colorado. “Usually, if you schedule your date the day before, we’ll definitely get you in.” “

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The CDPHE says there are still over 100 free community testing sites across the state with many appointments available. Colorado can test 31,000 people every day and according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the state is 11th in the country for the number of tests administered in the past seven days.

COVID Check Colorado says the increase in testing increased significantly from July to August: 26,172 to 102,242 tests. The end of August saw over 10,000 tests from the previous week and that rate is back on track for early September week to week.

“It can be more difficult for people to get these tests for a lot of reasons, some of them are a lot of places that offer free tests, they also offer a lot of other services,” said Christopher Titsworth, owner of Any Lab Test Now location in Denver.

(credit: CBS)

Clients pay out of pocket for same-day testing with a PCR result in less than two days and rapid tests are available at his clinic. There has been a slight increase in positive test results over the past month. The business was mainly aimed at traveling passengers or employees returning to work, now clients meet school requirements or need a negative result for concerts.

Titsworth says that because they focus only on testing, it helps them speed up the process. Rapid tests are generally not accepted for the requirements of a negative result, but it is also difficult to perform them accurately outside of a driving site.

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“As we get into the holidays, people are going to want to travel,” he told CBS4 on Tuesday. “Families want to come together, there will be people who want to check in and make sure they are healthy.”

While the Delta variant is clearly a big driver of the increase, the vacation weekend and out-of-state travel likely contributed to the recent increase in testing. For those visiting a COVID Check Colorado location, Mondays and Tuesdays will always be busier, and walk-in testing is more likely to occur in the middle of the week and during lunchtime. They can perform 100 tests per hour or more at each location.

(credit: CBS)

UCHealth also reports that their number of tests has doubled in the past two months. CDPHE believes it has a clear picture of infection and disease transmission based on the number of tests done across the state. The positivity rate is currently 5.99%, above the recommended limit of five percent. The agency said Tuesday it administered 215,044 tests last week, including those performed by lab partners, hospitals and pharmacies.

“We certainly haven’t reached full capacity at most of our sites,” Ferdows told CBS4 on Tuesday.

CONNECT: COVID-19 Tests in Colorado

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