Who's getting tested for coronavirus?

KUOW reporter Ann Dornfeld has been looking into who's being tested in Washington state and what the capacity truly is.

Governor Inslee said Tuesday he expects many more cases of COVID-19. "The number I use is about 1,000, and it could be a lot more than that frankly."

The number is likely to rise as more people are tested. An anonymous listener asked us, "Why are there not enough tests in the Seattle area right now?"

KUOW reporter Ann Dornfeld says it goes back to the federal government's response during the beginning of the outbreak.

"The CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) did not provide states the tests they needed," she says, and then, "the first CDC tests were faulty and inaccurate and even now that they are working, the state Department of Health only cam test a couple hundred people a day with those tests.

"In our state, we are lucky because the University of Washington has been anticipating the outbreak since January. So virologists there could quickly deploy a test that significantly added capacity," says Dornfeld.

But even with that added capacity, it's short of what's needed in Washington state.

"The capacity is currently around 1,200-1,400 tests per day," says Dornfeld. The University of Washington says it hopes to ramp up to 4,000 or even 5,000 tests per day.

As for who's being tested, "It's been a very confusing time for a lot of medical providers," Dornfeld says.

"The guidelines for who should be tested have been changing a lot ... Some medical centers are still primarily testing people who are symptomatic and have been in contact with a known case or have traveled to one of the overseas hot spots ... even emergency rooms have not necessarily been testing people unless folks meet those criteria or are sick enough to be hospitalized."

So how do you get a test if you think you need one?

"The number one way to get tested, the State Health Department says, is is call your healthcare provider and find out if they would recommend testing for you."

The state is leaving it up to provider's discretion, says Dornfeld. "The state is discouraging providers from testing anyone who has no symptoms."

If you believe you have been exposed to COVID-19, or are a healthcare provider with questions about COVID-19, contact King County's novel coronavirus call center at 206-477-3977 between 8 a.m. and 7 p.m. People can also call the Washington State Novel Coronavirus Call Center at 800-525-0127.