COLORADO, USA — Imagine feeling the symptoms of COVID-19, getting tested and then being told you’d never get a result.
That's what multiple people tested at a free King Soopers testing location said happened to them.
King Soopers is blaming a lab they used to process COVID-19 tests for not getting results to people for more than two weeks, if at all.
"While our staff performed the testing according to protocol, we have identified that one of our approved lab partners is unable to handle the increased volume of testing, preventing them from processing the results in a timely manner," a spokesperson for King Soopers told 9NEWS. "All issues with the lab have been resolved, and we have diverted all Colorado tests to our primary lab whose quality, accuracy, and turnaround times are among the best in the nation."
More than 2,000 people have been tested at the drive-thru testing facilities around the state organized by King Soopers. The company says it is still working to figure out how many of the people tested were impacted by the problem.
Amy Watson stopped by the testing location on the Auraria Campus on April 30 after she started feeling symptoms.
"I started to have symptoms in the middle of April," Watson said. "I didn’t want to spread it to anyone else. That was my main concern."
Beth Huesing also said she was tested on April 30. She went to the testing location in Boulder.
"I thought, I just want to know because I was wanting to quarantine and just find out if I had it," said Huesing.
Both Huesing and Watson said they were told they’d receive their test results in around three days. In both cases, those three days came and went. No test results.
It wasn’t until this Monday, a week and a half after they were tested, that both women received a call about their tests.
"They said that they didn’t have my results, that they weren’t available. The lab didn’t get back to them," said Huesing. "They told me that I could get another test but since I wasn’t ill anymore they preferred to keep them for people who were experiencing symptoms."
Watson received a similar call.
"There was an issue with the lab and that my test results and my test was basically lost," said Watson. "To be told that, oh sorry, we lost your test. It’s very disconcerting."
Thursday, two weeks after Watson and Huesing were tested, both received notifications that their results came back negative. Though King Soopers says they have no reason to believe the results are inaccurate, Watson has lost trust.
"They said, we’re happy to test you again. I said well at this point I am not exhibiting symptoms," said Watson. "Frankly, I don’t really trust your lab. So, no thank you."
Below is the full statement from King Soopers:
At King Soopers our vision is to help people live healthier lives, and it has never been more important as we help to expand Free Covid-19 testing across Colorado. This work, like all work we do, is guided by our values and our promise- to Feed the Human Spirit. That is why King Soopers is donating all professional services at these community drive-thru testing sites.
While our staff performed the testing according to protocol, we have identified that one of our approved lab partners is unable to handle the increased volume of testing, preventing them from processing the results in a timely manner. All issues with the lab have been resolved, and we have diverted all Colorado tests to our primary lab whose quality, accuracy, and turnaround times are among the best in the nation.
We are in the process of contacting any patient whose results could have been impacted and encouraging them to come back to one of our other free community locations. We want to ensure these individuals and the community get the information they need to properly care for themselves and to prevent further spread of the virus.
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