NEW ORLEANS — With three presumptive cases of coronavirus in New Orleans, coronavirus testing is ramping up in the state.
New Orleans Health Director Dr. Jennifer Avegno says commercial testing is now available at places like Quest Diagnostics and Labcorp.
“We do expect to see testing ramp up this week as commercially available tests are available to local providers,” Dr. Avegno said. “Those conversations are happening now that availability -- from what I am hearing from providers -- is there so we should expect to see testing ramp up.”
To perform this test, a doctor would swab the inside of your nose and the sample would be sent in a temperature controlled box to one of those locations.
There is concern among doctors that spoke with WWL-TV about the testing requirements. They say patients have come in with cough, shortness of breath or unexplained pneumonia in their lung, but they did not fit the CDC guidelines to receive the state test.
Those guidelines:
1. Only sick people who had gone to China, South Korea or Italy.
2. Health care providers who cared for someone with symptoms
3. Someone very sick in the hospital with symptoms who was not positive for flu and other illnesses.
So, those doctors had no choice but to send some patients home. The doctors we spoke with worry they were sending people home who they believe should have been tested.
Doctors also tell us that not all health clinics or doctors' offices or emergency rooms can take the swab sample. So, you need to call before you go to make sure that the doctor can do that for you.
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