Shortage In COVID Testing Kits Driving Up Lab-Based Demand

DUNDALK, Md. (WJZ) — A shortage of COVID-19 accelerated tests continues nationwide, including astatine galore stores successful Maryland.

A CDC bulletin this period advised labs to expect accrued request due to the fact that of the shortage successful accelerated trial kits and supplies.

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“The request (for testing) is there,” Philippe Deugoue of Baltimore County said aft getting tested successful Dundalk Tuesday. “People privation to marque definite they’re OK, adjacent if it’s not to spell backmost to work. People privation to marque definite they don’t person that variant.”

It is unclear what has caused the shortage successful over-the-counter trial supplies. Many stores with trial kits successful banal are limiting the fig of tests radical tin buy.

“Across the country, this is happening, wherever the resources that were going to these investigating sites are going toward vaccination,” Dr. Gigi Gronvall of the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security said. “Rapid tests are truly bully astatine determining if thing has a batch of microorganism successful their chemoreceptor astatine that time. Then, radical tin instrumentality enactment connected it, like, astatine that time. So, it’s a truly bully nationalist wellness instrumentality and I anticipation we get much of them.”

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Dr. Gronvall said radical returning to enactment and schoolhouse person driven up the request for investigating and the request to cognize results quickly.

“Not lone was determination Delta, truthful determination are accrued fig of cases, but radical are going backmost to school,” Dr. Gronvall said. “It truly is simply a shame, due to the fact that determination are truthful galore advantages of these accelerated tests.”

A spokesperson for the Maryland Department of Health told WJZ determination is nary shortage of accelerated tests disposable to schools.

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For a database of investigating sites successful Maryland by location, click here. https://coronavirus.maryland.gov/pages/symptoms-testing

Paul Gessler