Coronavirus In New Jersey: Health Care Providers Concerned About Supplies, Pace Of COVID-19 Testing
MARLTON, N.J. (CBS) -- Health care providers in New Jersey are concerned about supplies and the pace of COVID-19 testing. Hospitals have a responsibility to help sick people and government officials have a responsibility to help health care systems.
"To take a swab and take a test but not get results doesn't do anybody any good," New Jersey Congressman Donald Norcross said.
Norcross heard the concerns of health care providers Tuesday as he met with officials of Virtua Health.
Among their main concerns was the slow turnaround for getting COVID-19 test results. So far, they've done more than 200 tests across their system and only received about 5% of the results.
"We're still nowhere close to where we need to be to make sure that every person that needs a test can get one. We're ramping it up very quickly but we're still not there," Norcross said.
Virtua says right now it takes a minimum of four days and sometimes more than a week to get coronavirus test results, which leads to the next problem -- personal protective equipment (PPE) for staff.
Treating every sick person as a possible COVID-19 case is causing hospitals to unnecessarily burn through PPEs.
"That includes a gown, a mask, a face shield, gloves and as long was don't know that person has COVD-19 or not, we have to assume the patient does and so it makes us burn through a lot of the PPE," said Reg Blaber, chief clinical officer and vice president at Virtua Health.
And a shortage of protective equipment could lead to slower and possibly less effective care for sick people if there is a surge in COVID-19 cases.
"We have a national strategic supply but the fact of the matter is, it's not being distributed yet and we need to make sure that it's there as this ramps up," Norcross said.
Norcross has also spoken with officials at senior living facilities, who are taking care of some of those most vulnerable to coronavirus.