Washington state residents frustrated over obstacles to get coronavirus tests

© Provided by The Guardian Photograph: Lindsey Wasson/Reuters As Washington state faces a rapidly evolving coronavirus outbreak, which has already claimed nine lives there, residents on Tuesday reported a frustrating array of misinformation and obstacles as they were seeking to get tested.

One potential sufferer in the state, Jeannette Jameson, 61, a criminal defense lawyer, told the Guardian that she had been sick for about a month when her doctor suggested she go to an emergency room to be tested for the virus.

On Monday, Jameson went to Providence hospital in Everett, Washington, and after waiting for over two hours near dozens of other sick people, she was escorted to a chair in the hallway, separated from other patients with respiratory symptoms by carpeted wall partitions.

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When she asked why she wasn’t given a test for coronavirus, she said that a nurse practitioner told her she can only get tested if she’s admitted to the hospital with severe symptoms.

“The words that they were using were so misleading, basically as though, ‘Don’t worry, you don’t have it, you know, you’re fine’, and saying even if you had it it’s mild for most people,” said Jameson, who lives in Bothell, Washington. She added: “But not caring that I might go and infect someone who then it wouldn’t be mild for.”

After the flu test results came back and Jameson asked about the coronavirus test, she said the registered nurse practitioner told her: “You should be glad you don’t have influenza because that’s worse than coronavirus.”

The death rate from those suffering from coronavirus is much higher than those who contract the flu.

A frustrated Jameson later said she told the nurse: “This is like a third-world country.” And she said he responded by saying: “Now you’re just being dramatic.”

So Jameson still does not know if she has coronavirus. The Guardian has reached out to the hospital for comment.

Washington state, in the Pacific north-west, had 27 confirmed cases of coronavirus by Tuesday afternoon. Confirmed cases across the US have exceeded 117.

Most coronavirus infections cause mild symptoms, but for some at a higher risk, including older people and those with chronic illness, it can cause more severe symptoms. Officials think the virus spreads mainly through coughs or sneezes.

The confusion associated with the testing is probably because tests have expanded recently, explained Janet Baseman, associate dean for the University of Washington’s School of Public Health.

Initially, testing was limited to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) lab and reserved for those who had symptoms and had a travel history to China or contact with a known case, she explained.

In the last several days, however, Washington state has been able to test patients using a local laboratory, while local healthcare providers have been given more say over who should get tested.

“It’s a hard time and a frustrating time for people or providers who want to have their patients tested,” said Baseman. “I believe it’s going to get a lot easier.”

The state’s public health laboratory can now test approximately 200 specimens a day and is able to keep up with all requests, Dr Kathy Lofy, state health officer at the Washington state department of health, said during a press conference Monday.

There will also be additional testing completed at a lab at the University of Washington in Seattle. It was not immediately clear when testing was set to start.

Meanwhile, Diane Smith said her 10-year-old grandson came home from visiting his mom Sunday with a bad cough and a stuffy nose.

Smith has chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, which she said puts her at high risk for coronavirus, so she wanted to get him tested. Smith, 66, who lives in Yelm, Washington, said she called urgent care Monday and Tuesday, but they repeatedly told her that it’s probably just the cold or flu and not to get tested.

“They definitely need to ramp up the testing and figure out how to get people tested and give us information on where we can get tested … so those of us who are high risk and have a sick person in our house, we will know if he’s got it or not,” she said.

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