Georgia’s top health official said a more inclusive testing strategy will be implemented at local health departments after acknowledging previous guidelines likely made it too difficult for Georgians to get tested for the novel coronavirus.
Dr. Kathleen Toomey and Gov. Brian Kemp told members of the media during a press conference Monday the state has instructed officials at local health districts to collect more samples and process more coronavirus tests.
The state’s new testing criteria will include workers in fields deemed critical infrastructure, including:
- Healthcare
- Law enforcement and first responders
- Food and agriculture
- Financial services
- Energy sector
- Home hospice care
- Legal services
- Nonprofits that offer health or mental health service or food distribution
People without symptoms who have had contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19 will now also be eligible for state testing, Kemp said.
State-run testing will continue to be prioritized for staff and residents at long term care facilities, those who have symptoms along with a chronic medical condition, first responders and medical workers.
Those who are eligible should contact their local health department before arriving at a medical facility to be tested. The Georgia Department of Public Health is not the only entity collecting samples and processing coronavirus tests. Hospitals and other medical facilities also offer testing.
As of April 13, the Georgia Public Health Laboratory has processed 3,750 tests compared to the more than 53,000 at private labs. The state health department currently operates more than 34 testing sites.
“We need to be firing on all cylinders to prepare for the days and weeks ahead,” Kemp said, while stating the state’s current testing numbers frustrated state leaders.
The COVID Mapping Project, which analyzes coronavirus data, reports that Georgia ranks 43 out of 50 in the total number of tests it has conducted per capita as of April 13. Toomey acknowledged the state’s low test per capita ranking and the efforts underway to expand Georgia’s testing capacity.
“We recognize that we probably made it a little bit too hard for people to get in because we were requiring people to get a referral from a physician,” she said. “We want to make it easier for us to see patients.”
The revised testing strategy is one part of state officials’ efforts to stop the spread of COVID-19 and prevent the disease’s surge from overwhelming Georgia’s healthcare infrastructure, Kemp said.
Health officials are adding 200 medical cubicles with patient rooms to house mild and moderate coronavirus patients at the World Congress Center in Atlanta. Hospitals across the state are converting areas for critical care patients.The state is also installing four medical unitsto expand bed capacity in Rome, Albany, Gainesville and Macon. All four will be operational by early May, Kemp said.
The state currently has 2,617 emergency room beds, 929 critical care beds and nearly 6,000 general inpatient beds statewide, Kemp said. The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington projects Georgia will reach peak medical resources use on May 1.
Kemp stopped short of saying how an increase in testing capacity and the new state testing policy would influence a decision about extending his shelter-in-place order. The order is currently set to expire April 30.
“I don’t want to speculate on those things until we get to that peak,” he said. “We are seeing some good signs which makes me just want to urge my fellow Georgians to get them to hunker down even more this week.”