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Coronavirus Testing Ramps Up in U S

Amid spike in testing anxious patients await results for COVID-19

Nurse Jennifer Homan, manager of Trauma Services at Franciscan Health Crown Point, prepares to swab a patient during COVID-19 testing on March 17 outside the emergency department at Franciscan Health Crown Point in northwest Indiana. Franciscan Health The first confirmed case of in the United States was in late January. The victim was in the state of Washington, a man in his 30s who had visited Wuhan, China. The coronavirus has moved across America, striking every state and the nation's capital. Now, testing is ratcheting up coast to coast, but some have been refused tests while others who have submitted specimens face long waits for results. Get instant access to members-only products and hundreds of discounts, a free second membership, and a subscription to AARP the Magazine. In Indiana, for example, the first confirmed case was reported March 6, more than six weeks after the first diagnosis in the U.S. Jodi Jacobson/Getty Images

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As of Thursday, 380 tests had been administered in the Hoosier State, home to 6.85 million people. The state has had 56 cases, and its death toll stands at two. This week in Crown Point, a suburban enclave in northwestern Indiana, a late afternoon line of cars and pickup trucks snaked around the entrance of Franciscan Health's emergency department. Hospitals are following state and federal guidelines and asking patients not to come into hospitals or emergency rooms for testing; though some tests sites do not accommodate people under age 18, who are being allowed into emergency rooms to provide a sample of their saliva and mucous. Steam rose from the engines idling in a cold rain as drivers patiently awaited the hospital nurses who were collecting specimens to test for COVID-19. Nurse Tambi Kieta (left) accepts a COVID-19 specimen sample from nurse Jennifer Homan at a drive-through specimen collection site at Franciscan Health Crown Point in northwest Indiana. Mark Taylor

Nurses heavily protected

Jennifer Homan, 47, a nurse from North Judson, Indiana, wore a rainbow of protective garments and gear: white protective suit, blue latex gloves, yellow disposable isolation gown, gray surgical bonnet and green N95 respiratory mask. Her eyes were safeguarded by a clear plastic shield. AARP Membership — $12 for your first year when you sign up for Automatic Renewal Get instant access to members-only products and hundreds of discounts, a free second membership, and a subscription to AARP the Magazine. Flowers & Gifts 25% off sitewide and 30% off select items See more Flowers & Gifts offers > "We've seen patients of all ages and genders with a full range of symptoms — from mild sniffles to severe hacking coughs,” she said. Tests began this week at Franciscan Health's Michigan City, Indiana, hospital as well. “Most people have been incredibly friendly and polite,” she said. “They've listened seriously to what we have to say and seem very grateful.” During a rare lull, the nurses huddled in a trailer beneath a tent. Franciscan began outpatient coronavirus testing on Monday, said Travis Thatcher-Curtis, 42, the hospital's director of nursing operations. The tests take less than five minutes to administer, he said. Franciscan's lab gathers the samples and ships them for analysis to the Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings, a Burlington, North Carolina-based clinical lab. He said the crowds have risen daily, from 15 patients on opening day to nearly 75 on Wednesday.

Illinois 422 infections

Neighboring Illinois, which has 12.65 million people — nearly twice the Indiana population — has been hit harder. While the state's Department of Public Health reported four coronavirus deaths as of Wednesday, it also has logged 422 diagnosed cases since the first such case was announced on Jan. 24, three days after the first U.S. case in Washington state was discovered. Altogether, 3,151 Illinoisans have been tested. Some hospitals have devised their own tests and are gathering samples to process in-house. NorthShore University Health System in Chicago's northern suburbs is conducting testing at its five hospitals. NorthShore created its test in January and began testing patients during the second week of March, said Karen Kaul, M.D., who chairs its pathology and laboratory services. The system was testing up to 400 patients daily, but no longer announces daily counts. Instead it reports the information (and confirmed cases) to the Illinois Department of Public Health, which forwards them to the CDC.
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