Iowa’s three hospital system said they will test all patients for COVID-19 and return test results in 24-36 hours.UnityPoint announced Tuesday that it will join MercyOne and Broadlawns in testing all admitted patients, even if they are asymptomatic. Dr. Rossana Rosa, with UnityPoint Health, said the increased testing will help determine where patients will be placed within the hospital, help protect patients and staff and help the hospital determine how much personal protective equipment it needs.“Asymptomatic or pre-symptomatic transmission is very real, and so by doing this we are able to keep our health care staff protected,” Rosa said.Rosa said UnityPoint uses its own lab to run around 750 tests per day.“We are able to use our different testing platforms to triage the urgency with which you need a test result,” she said.In emergencies, Rosa said the hospital will perform a rapid test.Asymptomatic patients coming in for elective surgeries will receive outpatient tests during a pre-surgery appointment and know the results within a day or two.MercyOne partnered with Corteva Agriscience in Johnston to process its tests. Crop scientists have the technology here to perform 150 to 175 COVID-19 tests per day for MercyOne patients. MercyOne will also use its own machine to perform 50 to 60 rapid tests per day. “We know in the state of Iowa it is very hard to get a test for COVID-19,” said Nola Aigner-Davis, with the Polk County Health Department.Aigner-Davis said while state health department protocol is to test only the sickest Iowans, hospitals have the resources and the private labs to tests turn around quickly — even for those who show no signs of COVID-19.“We know that the state and other health departments do not have actual labs on site,” she said. “So, if you would get a test at TestIowa, that would have to go through the State Hygienic Lab,” she said.The Office of the Governor told KCCI Tuesday that the State Hygienic Lab is keeping up with processing tests and was only backlogged at the beginning because of an initial surge.Gov. Kim Reynolds’ spokesperson, Pat Garrett, said Iowa is on its way to conducting 5,000 tests per day and that the majority of those will be processed through the state lab.
DES MOINES, Iowa —
Iowa’s three hospital system said they will test all patients for COVID-19 and return test results in 24-36 hours.
UnityPoint announced Tuesday that it will join MercyOne and Broadlawns in testing all admitted patients, even if they are asymptomatic.
Dr. Rossana Rosa, with UnityPoint Health, said the increased testing will help determine where patients will be placed within the hospital, help protect patients and staff and help the hospital determine how much personal protective equipment it needs.
“Asymptomatic or pre-symptomatic transmission is very real, and so by doing this we are able to keep our health care staff protected,” Rosa said.
Rosa said UnityPoint uses its own lab to run around 750 tests per day.
“We are able to use our different testing platforms to triage the urgency with which you need a test result,” she said.
In emergencies, Rosa said the hospital will perform a rapid test.
Asymptomatic patients coming in for elective surgeries will receive outpatient tests during a pre-surgery appointment and know the results within a day or two.
MercyOne partnered with Corteva Agriscience in Johnston to process its tests.
Crop scientists have the technology here to perform 150 to 175 COVID-19 tests per day for MercyOne patients.
MercyOne will also use its own machine to perform 50 to 60 rapid tests per day.
“We know in the state of Iowa it is very hard to get a test for COVID-19,” said Nola Aigner-Davis, with the Polk County Health Department.
Aigner-Davis said while state health department protocol is to test only the sickest Iowans, hospitals have the resources and the private labs to tests turn around quickly — even for those who show no signs of COVID-19.
“We know that the state and other health departments do not have actual labs on site,” she said. “So, if you would get a test at TestIowa, that would have to go through the State Hygienic Lab,” she said.
The Office of the Governor told KCCI Tuesday that the State Hygienic Lab is keeping up with processing tests and was only backlogged at the beginning because of an initial surge.
Gov. Kim Reynolds’ spokesperson, Pat Garrett, said Iowa is on its way to conducting 5,000 tests per day and that the majority of those will be processed through the state lab.
