While anyone tested for Covid-19 at a doctor's office or urgent care center can expect to wait up up to 10 days or longer for results, those tested by the Erie County Health Department can still expect results within two days.
That's because Erie County relies on testing chemicals from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, not private health companies, and the county has stockpiled tens of thousands of testing swab kits.
"We have over 36,000 testing kits – swabs – on hand at this point to cover us through the summer and in early fall when we believe there will be a second wave," County Executive Mark Poloncarz said Wednesday in a press briefing. "We are getting refilled with reagents every two weeks by the CDC."
But there's a catch. The county Public Health Lab has limited testing capacity, with the ability to turn around roughly 500 diagnostic tests per week. That would account for only a small fraction of all the weekly tests processed for Erie County residents.
People are also reading…
Last week, Erie County residents had more than 17,000 tests completed, according to state data. That means the reliance on other area hospital labs and private companies for test results remains significant.
Erie County's Public Health Lab is one of only three health labs in the state – and one of roughly 60 labs across the country – that belong the CDC's Laboratory Response Network and are approved to receive a steady stream of Covid-19 testing chemicals or "reagents" from the CDC, county officials said.
The other two state labs include one in New York City and the state Wadsworth Lab in Albany.
"We're able to receive from the CDC some testing capabilities that other commercial health labs – or even public health labs that don't participate in this network – can't get," said Erie County Health Commissioner Dr. Gale Burstein.
Poloncarz also pointed out Wednesday that having a Covid-19 test in Erie County is not the same as having a test done by the Erie County Health Department.
The county offers drive-thru testing at three locations, but appointments must be made in advance by calling the county's Covid-19 information line at (716) 858-2929. The sites include a Williamsville location on Mondays, an Orchard Park location on Wednesdays, and a Buffalo city location at Kensington High School on Fridays.
Erie County's Public Health Lab does testing for both county residents, who compose the majority of testing results, as well as some limited testing for surrounding counties that don't have a public health lab of their own.
Erie County also offers antibody testing. Appointments for those tests can be made online at erie.gov/covidtest
Both diagnostic and antibody tests offered by Erie County are free of charge.
Erie County and Western New York Covid-19 hospitalizations have fluctuated over the past few weeks but overall remain relatively low and level.
However, the number of confirmed Covid-19 cases in Erie County has now crossed the 8,000 mark, with 8,032 confirmed cases. A total of 663 people have died, Poloncarz said.
County residents in their 20s accounted for more than a third of all those who tested positive last week.
