BOONE, Iowa—Last Thursday, Dr. Brian Mehlhaus, family practitioner for Boone County Family Medicine and Chairman of the Boone County Board of Health, told KWBG that an ongoing increase in the demand for COVID testing had depleted the availability of testing supplies. Friday, the Boone County Hospital released a similar notice:
TO OUR PATIENTS
We apologize for our current situation, but like most of the country our supply of covid tests has become dangerously depleted and therefore, we are currently able to test only the sickest people for COVID.
Examples of patients who will qualify for a test at this time:
- Patients with a fever > 100.5
- Patients with an elevated respiratory rate or difficulty in breathing
- Patients with a low pulsoximeter level
- Patients who appear toxic or extremely ill
It is our hope this is a temporary situation.
Our supply of rapid tests from the state has been put on allocation which means we have no control as to when they send us more or how many they send.
We are utilizing all of our resources to use other testing means which includes sending tests to the State Hygienic Lab as well as utilizing other types of equipment which are not rapid.
Currently we are still able to test you for Influenza A and B, Strep and RSV.
Please try to find alternate means of testing for minor symptoms whenever you can:
– Local pharmacies l Test Iowa l Walgreens l CVS l HyVee
To order test kits online ahead of time, log on to cvs.com, walgreens.com, Walmart.com, testiowa.com.
*This applies to Boone County Hospital and all its Clinics.
