RI’s Coronavirus Testing Plummets, Despite Raimondo’s Promises to Increase Quantity
GoLocalProv News Team
RI’s Coronavirus Testing Plummets, Despite Raimondo’s Promises to Increase Quantity
Governor Gina Raimondo continues to say testing is critical and that the state is gearing up to improve testing availability, but in recent days the number of Rhode Islanders tested has plummeted.
On Wednesday, Raimondo said at her weekly press conference, “In the past couple of weeks it might take you a few days to get that test set up. It’s better now. When we showed up overnight on the travel list for states we were overrun with people who wanted to get tested. I'm sorry if it took a few days before could get an appointment. It is definitely better now."
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLAST"I think I can safely say the worst is behind us. We're much better than we were a month ago [on turnaround time] and next month expect us to be even better. Although it’s been a year of surprises," she added.
Moving the Goalposts
Forget that Raimondo promised Rhode Island would be testing 10,000 people per day by the end of July.
Raimondo said in May. “I’d like to see us at 10,000 a day by July. And then we want to get to 20,000 a day…by end of September.”
In the past six days, the average number of tests has fallen to just 2,792 per day -- far below June and July’s testing numbers.
Two weeks ago, GoLocal unveiled that Accu Reference, based out of New Jersey that RI contracted with to help with the processing and to improve the turnaround time of coronavirus lab tests has a checkered background.
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In September 2018, Chief U.S. District Judge James Bredar sentenced Bas and co-conspirator Mubtagha Shah Syed to a year and a day, and three months in prison, respectively, each followed by three years of supervised release, for a scheme in which a Maryland pain management practice referred urine specimens to Bas’s testing lab in return for $1.37 million in kickbacks. Bredar also ordered Bas to forfeit $241,600 and to pay a fine of $5,000.
Rhode Island also hired Dominion a Rhode Island-based company.
"The contracts with the two [new] labs -- both of these contracts guarantee results in 48 hours. This week we're running more than 2000 tests with those two new contracts with turnaround times of 48 hours or less. This is big. And they're going to ramp up as they work out the kinks," said Raimondo
"A month ago our average turnaround time for a test was 5 days — today it’s just under 2 1/2 days. We're going to work like crazy to get it under two days. As frustrating as it is, until you get your results, we need you to stay home. Which is why we're working hard to get it down to two days. Dominion alone is going to be able to run 7000 tests a day in a few weeks from now," she added.