We have been pushing the mantra of--
Know if you’re contagious
Know if you’re immune
Test. Test. Test.
We are all aware of the large spike in new Covid cases recently. This has created a unprecedented demand for the PCR swab test.
We continue to do these curbside on a near daily basis. That will not change during the current crisis.
However the labs we use -such as Lab Corp and Quest have informed us that due to this large demand results may be delayed a few days. Where we were receiving results in 2 or 3 days , we are being told to expect a 3 to 5 business day turnaround and sometimes up to a week.
That is understandable since there’s a finite number of machines but a large increase in the number of tests.
I advise all of our patients who undergo swabbing with symptoms to stay isolated until the results are back.
Additionally, we have been researching the so-called “quick swabs” which give results in under 24 hours. The sad fact is I cannot justify the high number of false negatives associated with the quick test.
Therefore Caduceus and PDQ will not be offering the test until we can be assured of a better accuracy rate. We would discourage our patients from seeking or taking the test, as tempting as it is to have a quicker answer.
Gregg DeNicola MD, Chief Medical officer