Over the past few weeks, the number of daily negative COVID-19 tests in Manitowoc County has dropped, partially due to a nationwide shortage of testing kits.
We spoke with Manitowoc County Emergency Services Director Travis Waack, who said he thinks “that’s because the demand for testing has skyrocketed.” The influx of cases in the south has caused some businesses and schools to want to test people in their facilities regularly.
This has resulted in some hospitals have a tougher time getting the number of kits they need. To combat this, Waack says hospitals have begun to “throttle back on some of the preoperative testing, or tests that are administered before someone is admitted to the hospital. Kind of those preventative tests. But in the County, all of our healthcare providers are able to test people with symptoms.”
While the shortage is something the Health Department and Emergency Services Division are keeping an eye on, Waack said, “The shortages are nowhere near enough to be effecting that kind of testing.”
Waack encourages anyone who believes they may have the virus to get tested.
