High demand for Arizona Clinic, COVID-19 test

As COVID-19 cases approach 3.5 million infectious diseases and more than 137,000 deaths in the United States, According to Johns Hopkins UniversityThe Arizona hospital, which is currently a hotspot, is full.

was there Over 134,000 positive cases Number of Coronaviruses in the State, Adult ICU Beds 90% capacity Maricopa County has the most positive COVID-19 cases in the state, Order multiple refrigerated trucks The morgue is starting to fill up. The key to stopping the virus is a quick and extensive test, which has not been tested in Arizona.

State health officials say they are launching a site that can test 5,000 people per day to slow the spread of the virus. They promise that people will get them Results in 48 hours..

One of Arizona’s largest coronavirus testing sites, Raymond Embry Morning edition He said he was surprised when he knew about the plan, although additional testing is needed. He says he has received little support from the state since his clinic began testing in March.

“Where do all these ingredients come from? Where do they come from because there is absolutely no personal protective equipment or supplies available at the state or county level?”

This is an excerpt of the conversation.

What happened to his mind when he saw his first spike in positive tests in early June

I do not intend to travel in July. Sorry, obviously horrifying, but before that, we thought our COVID-19 test operations would go out of business. And that would have been a good thing. This was probably the first time a business closure was a good thing. That means we were no longer needed. And when I really saw it, it said, “Oh, god. Nobody is prepared for this. There is no way to stop the test for COVID-19. Just as drive-through pharmacies need us. There is no way to be good enough to test, and you need to take immediate action to bring people together and find a place to start the test.

Time to get lab results after testing is done

Lab results are not immediately reflected. It’s one of the things that keeps me up late. Sometimes I ask myself. What is the point of testing people, especially in asymptomatic individuals, if it takes 7 business days for results to be returned? No one is sitting at home, so how many other people have you interacted with and found to be positive now? This actually brings another part of our operation, which is the lack of sufficient swabs and vials. I think I had a small anxiety attack last night. With 4,000 patients screened each day on Monday, swabs and vials are in stock daily and thankfully ready. It is depleting rapidly. From today on, I really don’t know where the swabs and vials come from.

Listen to the full interview at the voice link above.

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Noel King, Host:

According to the Johns Hopkins database, the number of COVID-19s in the United States is expected to reach 3 million. Hospitals in Texas, Florida and Arizona are full. The key to stopping the virus is a quick, extensive test. We know that But in some states, including Arizona, which is currently a hotspot, testing has not caught up. An adult ICU bed is 90% of capacity. Therefore, state health officials say they have set up a test site that can test 5,000 people per day. They expect results within 48 hours. When Raymond Embury heard this, he was very surprised. He operates one of the largest test sites in Arizona. The clinic has conducted free tests on thousands of people in Mesa outside Phoenix. And he told me that the clinic had little support from the state since it began testing in March.

Raymond Embury: To be honest, basically with the snap of a finger, the Arizona Health Department, Governor Duchy’s office, and FEMA can quickly get the supplies, materials, and lab capacity to open the two. I know. The site, which will be launched on Friday, will be able to serve 5,000 patients per day, with reported time between 24-48 hours.

Now, that doesn’t mean that the community desperately doesn’t need the test. They definitely do. But where do all those materials come from? Where did it come from, as it was absolutely stated that there were no additional personal protective equipment or consumables available at the state or county level?

King: Embry is the Business Manager of Embry Women’s Health. It was an obstetrics and gynecology clinic. However, in March, the severity of the virus became so high that it couldn’t be ignored, so we moved to the COVID test. In May, I attended a Saturday test blitz that the state was doing. The idea was to have as many people as possible test at once.

EMBRY: We combined all four on Saturday and tested more than 4,000 people, but the percentage of positive cases was negligible.

King: According to Embury, less than 50 of these tests were positive. But then everything changed.

Embry: What happened in early June was an overnight test of 200 people, with more people returning positive in a one-night test than if they combined all four on Saturday. It was

King: May I ask you what happened in your head when you saw it happen?

Embry: I don’t go on a trip in July (laughs).

King: Oh dear.

EMBRY: Excuse me. No, obviously, I was scared. But before that, I thought that our COVID-19 test run would go out of business. And that would have been a good thing. This was probably the first time a business closure was a good thing. And when I really saw it, as you know, oh my God, no one was prepared for this. There is no way to cancel the COVID-19 test. Drive-through pharmacies can never be enough to do the tests we need. And, as you know, you need to take immediate action to bring people together and find a place to start the test.

King: It sounds like your staff is tired.

Embry: Yes, they are definitely exhausted. And every time I visit the site, you know, and I’m checking their face. So the only reason they are there is because they really want to help the community and stop the spread of the virus. .. But you know, I really know how they do it. In other words, they are out of 115 degrees, 118 degrees, or perhaps they feel that way. And, as you know, on a black parking surface, it definitely doesn’t make things easier. If you’ve heard rumors that you can break an egg and watch it fried in a parking lot in Arizona, that’s essentially what our employees and providers are doing every day.

KING: Do you get any help from government or national officials?

EMBRY: In most cases, no local, county, state, or federal support other than the Arizona State Guard. And the Arizona State Guard is a great partner. As you know, their soldiers are there everyday, with our providers and management staff. However, we do not receive any support other than Arizona State Guard.

KING: I would like to ask about what you are listening to all over the country. Some locations seem to be better than others due to the late test results. It seems like it would be pretty easy to mechanize this and test people right away. Will the lab results change soon? How long do I have to wait for the results to be returned?

EMBRY: Unfortunately, no lab results are reflected immediately. It’s definitely one of the things that keeps me up late. What is the point of testing people, especially in asymptomatic individuals, if it takes 5 to 7 business days for results to be returned? As you know, no one is sitting at home. So how many other people did you interact with and now you find positive?

And that actually brings another part of our operation, which is that we don’t have enough cotton swabs and vials. Yesterday, 4,000 patients were tested on Monday, so I think there was a small anxiety attack, but swabs and vials are in stock for only 2,000 patients daily. Thankfully, there was a unique reserve that was quickly exhausting. From today on, I really don’t know where the swabs and vials come from.

King: I feel anxiety and fatigue in your voice. What are the main things that bother you and look forward to the next few days and weeks? What are you most scared of?

EMBRY: What scares me the most is to continue to open these test sites and make these patients available for testing, and A, promise to have no lab to send. These specimens are overwhelming, or B, because there is no test kit that can actually collect the specimens. As you know, we are committed to the community. We are also working with a site across the valley to open a new test site. We also employ dozens of employees daily to staff our test sites. But there is no personal protective equipment to do that. And I don’t have a test kit that can do that.

King: Thank you, Raymond Embury.

Embry: Oh, that’s my joy. Thank you for taking the time to address these important issues.

King: Raymond is a Business Manager at Embury Women’s Health and runs one of Arizona’s largest test sites in Mesa, Arizona. A transcript and copyright NPR provided by NPR.