Texans who are getting tested for coronavirus are quickly figuring out it will take days to get the results back. In some cases, a week.
Although the Lone Star State has stepped up COVID-19 testing, there are still many who are waiting to get tested or waiting for their results. Dr. Jill Weatherhead, Infectious Disease expert at Baylor College of Medicine, says researchers are still learning more about the novel coronavirus, which is distinct from the flu.
“You have a new virus that you’ve never seen before there’s no research on it. It takes some time to gain a greater understanding of how this virus is structured, and how it behaves, it order to make new tests,” Weatherhead told KTRH.
She says once scientists get past that step, it takes time for companies to mass produce the tests. She expects tests to be more readily available in the coming months.
State authorities say they continue to tally the total number of positive tests carried out by individual healthcare facilities and laboratories.