RI’s Coronavirus Testing Program Is Falling Far Behind Massachusetts

RI’s Coronavirus Testing Program Is Falling Far Behind Massachusetts

In Massachusetts, state officials announced on Wednesday that they have completed more than 19,794 tests to date for COVID-19. 

Rhode Island has completed just 1,471 through Wednesday — fewer than 60 cases a day since Rhode Island reported its first confirmed case. 

Through last Friday, Massachusetts had conducted just under 3,200 tests. Since then, the Commonwealth has been conducting more than 3,000 tests a day.

GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLAST

Massachusetts’ population is 6.5 times larger than Rhode Island’s, after adjusting population — the Commonwealth is conducting approximately twice as many tests per capita.

 

Rhode Island in Focus

“We are working to ramp up testing now. We are partnering with a number of private and hospital labs now, and anticipate that they will help us get our numbers closer to where we want them to be,” said Joseph Wendelken, Public Information Officer for the Rhode Island Department of Health.

But unfortunately, that has been the Rhode Island claims for weeks in Rhode Island.

Ten days ago, Wendelken told GoLocal, "We have supplies at the State Health Laboratories to test for COVID-19. Based on the supplies we have, we feel confident that we can test samples for thousands of Rhode Islanders. (And we anticipate that commercial labs and hospital labs will be coming on board in a matter of days.)”

 

WATCH: Former RI Director of Health Dr. Michael Fine on GoLocal LIVE Each Day at 12 noon 

 

Testing is Critical

“If the health system is working well, those tests should be good and help us manage this epidemic,” says Catherine Klapperich, director of the Laboratory for Diagnostics and Global Healthcare Technologies at Boston University told the Verge. “It’s frustrating that the testing we thought we could rely on didn’t roll out the way we expected it to.”