As demand goes up to be tested for COVID-19, many now have to wait their turn

ST. GEORGE — As the Southern Utah area is experiencing the most numbers of those infected with the coronavirus since the COVID-19 pandemic began, the demand to get tested for the virus is also climbing.

Medical personnel at the Intermountain drive-thru coronavirus testing site at the 400 East Campus of Dixie Regional Medical Center in St. George, Utah, on Oct. 29, 2020. | Photo by Chris Reed, St. George News

Because of that demand, Intermountain Healthcare said it is making changes to the procedures at their three COVID-19 drive-thru testing sites in Southern Utah.

Residents are being asked to no longer go to any of the Intermountain sites without an appointment. Instead, people exhibiting a symptom of the virus and needing to be tested are being asked to go to intermountain.com/covidtesting to fill out a questionnaire and reserve a window of time for their test. 

This new procedure has caused frustration for some. Some residents have reported to St. George News that there is as much as a two-day waiting period before they could get a testing slot and then up to a 72-hour wait to get results. That could complicate things for those in quarantine who need a negative test to return to work or school because of their exposure to someone with the virus.

Utah Gov. Gary Herbert has said previously he places an emphasis on testing and that it will be a priority of his in the coming week to improve access to testing. 

“We’re going to make a review in the next few days to enhance testing opportunities,” Herbert said. “Everyone who wants a test should be able to get one. More testing should help in contact tracing and isolate those with the virus.”

Medical personnel administer COVID-19 tests at the Intermountain drive-thru coronavirus testing site outside the InstaCare in Cedar City, Utah, on July 14, 2020. | Photo by Chris Reed, St. George News

Besides Intermountain’s locations in St. George, Cedar City and Panguitch, Family Healthcare also operates a testing site on Bluff Street in St. George. For a complete listing of testing sites, click here

Health officials have previously said one indication that the spread of the virus is stable is when the positivity rate is around 5%; however, last week the percentage of tests in Washington County that have come back positive hovered around 20%.

State epidemiologist Dr. Angela Dunn with the Utah Department of Health said a high positivity rate is a sign of many more people who have the virus and are spreading it that have not been tested.

“When we get upwards of 10 to 15% positivity, that’s a sign of a lot of spread in the community, and we’re likely missing many who are not being tested,” Dunn said.

Ed. note: There is no longer a testing site at Red Cliffs Mall.

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2020, all rights reserved.

Free News Delivery by Email

Would you like to have the day's news stories delivered right to your inbox every evening? Enter your email below to start!