Hood County Sheriff's Office Investigating Pop-Up COVID-19 Testing Site
HOOD COUNTY, Texas (CBSDFW.COM) - COVID-19's continued spread has also prompted a new rush to get tested -- and with that a warning out of Hood County to be cautious in selecting a provider.
"Even if it wasn't intentionally deceptive, it didn't deliver on what it was supposed to deliver," said George Techentine, who says a slight fever and chills prompted him to seek out a test last week. The 'drive-thru' testing in the Kroger parking lot on Highway 377 East in Granbury seemed like a perfect solution -- and so did many others.
"By that time there was a double line completely wrapped around the back of the building," said Techentine.
Busy then. But unresponsive now. More than a week later Techentine says he still hasn't gotten his results.
"They've reached out to me on Facebook. They offer help and they put me in touch with a different person. But the result is always the same. No one is able to do anything," he said.
According to a statement posted to the Hood County News Facebook page, the event was organized by a staffing agency called The Grinder Group. An employee apologized saying "we were simply understaffed for the Tuesday and Wednesday events..." And also adding "We did the best that we could, given the circumstances."
Meanwhile two investigators from the Hood County Sheriff's Office have been assigned to probe whether incompetence or perhaps something criminal is at play.
"We have a retirement community here in Hood County that had multiple people in their retirement community test that day," said Lt. Johnny Rose, who heads up the Criminal Investigations Division, "and they're stuck in quarantine. ...We would like to relieve that situation, by either this company letting them know what's going on, or we're moving forward with the criminal investigation, if that's necessary."
Others who visited the site have reported receiving odd emails so the sheriff's office is also looking into the security of the personal information provided in what has been described as a "paperless" testing protocol. They're asking anyone who received at COVID-19 test at the site to contact them.
Techentine, meanwhile, says he is feeling better. Now, his wife has since began experiencing symptoms.
"Second day now with no sense of test or smell," said Techentine, who stresses that he quarantined while waiting for his test results. He says had he known he was positive, he would have taken additional steps to protect his wife. So much for the promised 24 to 36 hour turnaround for the test results.
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