'What Do You Mean You Don't Have Any Tests?' | More Maryland COVID-19 Testing Sites Open, But Actual Tests Still Limited
LANDOVER, Md. (WJZ) -- The parking lot of FedEx Field in Landover started as a COVID-19 testing site Monday, but the tests are at a premium.
"We don't want to waste these tests. We want to test where it's really important to the individual and to the contact tracing in order to stop this spread.
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Providers must order your test since they're on short supply. Gov. Larry Hogan addressed the concern Tuesday on CNN.
"Without the test, we really are flying blind. We're kind of guessing about where the outbreaks are and what the infection rates and the hospitalization rates are and the mortality rates," He said.
"The United States, the greatest country in the world, should have been better prepared for this type of crisis," said former Anne Arundel County Executive Laura Neuman.
The former county executive and her daughter are among those who experienced symptoms, but could not get a test from her doctor.
"I was shocked by that. I said, 'What do you mean, you don't have any tests?'" Neuman said.
So far, more than 16,000 tests have returned results so far in Maryland, about 10 percent positive.
Testing still takes four to five days to return results. State health officials said the rise in cases is actually a reflection of where we were last week, rather than where we are now.
Three emission inspection sites open Wednesday in Waldorf, Bel Air and Glen Burnie.
"For me, this is a failure of public policy. Unless we are actively and aggressively testing, we don't know where this is. We don't know who's been affected. And, we don't know where to treat it," Neuman said.
CORONAVIRUS RESOURCES:
- Coronavirus Resources: How To Get Help In Maryland
- Coronavirus In Maryland: What We Know
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Gov. Hogan, in an op-ed with Michigan's Democratic governor, addressed test and supply shortages from federal partners.
"There's no question this is a pinch point on testing, on supplies, materials, PPE, and ventilators. Everyone in America knows we don't have enough of these things." Gov. Hogan said.
The three testing sites open Wednesday. They'll be open based on demand and availability of supplies.
For the latest information on coronavirus go to the Maryland Health Department's website or call 211. You can find all of WJZ's coverage on coronavirus in Maryland here.