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Coronavirus News: 7 On Your Side investigates COVID-19 testing issues

Wednesday, April 8, 2020

7 On Your Side investigates COVID-19 testing issues

If you're showing symptoms of coronavirus, how long is too long to wait for test results?

NEW YORK (WABC) -- If you're showing symptoms of coronavirus, how long is too long to wait for test results? A day? A week? How about 10 days? That's how long one viewer was waiting.

She feared her dad, whose system was already compromised, was also infected. It was a grim situation.

Half-a-dozen of her co-workers had tested positive for coronavirus, so both she and her dad got tested. That's where her frustration turned frantic.

"It's very frightening," Jennifer Szewcyk said. "It's not fair what they're doing. It doesn't make any sense."

Both Szewcyk and her dad Leon have been quarantined, waiting for their COVID-19 test results.

"Today is now day 10," she said after being tested a week-and-a-half ago for COVID-19.

In early March, Szewcyk found she may have been exposed to the virus when six of her co-workers tested positive.

"I was around my family and he developed this cough," she said. "It was pretty frightening."

Both Jennifer and her dad showed symptoms of the virus.

"(I was suffering from) ear aches, pains in my chest, horrible fatigue, horrible head ache," Szewcyk said.

They both drove separately to their local urgent care -- waiting in line in their cars -- to get tested.

"I specifically asked the doctor how long would it be to get the test results," Szewcyk said. "He said 5 days."

Quick results were critical especially for her dad.

"My father's 68 years old, and he's had two heart transplants and a kidney transplant, so he's at extremely high risk," she said.

Szewcyk then said the urgent care told her results were in, and the doctor would call her, then nothing for a week.

"To be told you're gonna have results in five days and here it is day 10, and to not know a single thing, it's just not fair," Szewcyk said.

7 On Your Side decided to call the Urgent Care, who referred us to the testing lab Lab Corp.

Lab Corp said since early March it had completed a half-million COVID-19 tests -- normally results are done in four to five days.

About a day-and-a-half after 7 On Your Side's call, a doctor called Szewcyk.

"I want to thank 7 On Your Side tremendously," she said. "We got the results. We're both negative for me and my dad. Thank God. But you were a huge help in this."