Watch CBS News

Shortage In Testing Could Lead To Long Waitlists, People Being Turned Away

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — A sudden stop to testing is leaving people scrambling to find a place to go after five community-based sites recently closed.

Marshall spent hours looking for a place to get tested for coronavirus. He's already feeling the effects of a major testing shortage. It left him turning to St. Paul Missionary Baptist Church on 14th Ave.

"I want to know, but I work like maintenance in an apartment, I'm around multiple people," he said.

Sacramento County Health Director Dr. Peter Beilenson says a shortage in testing material controlled by the federal government has stopped without warning.

"My biggest concern going forward is this takes a long time to solve," Dr. Beilenson said.

It comes at a time when testing in the county is up almost 19,000% from the start of the pandemic, going from 100 to now 19,000 people a week.

READ: Yolo County Increasing Enforcement Measures On Businesses To Prevent Coronavirus Spread

"This can affect our numbers in terms of number of people that are being tested," Dr. Beilenson said.

More importantly, he says, is the impact to the Latino and Black communities, working families these sites were serving.

"It's crucial to their health as well as the health of the public," he explained.

With limited access to testing and the two sites still open — Cal Expo and St. Paul Missionary Baptist Church — at capacity, there will likely be an increase in people registering to get tested, leading to long waitlists and some people being turned away.

"Just think of the thousands that we got that haven't been tested you know," Marshall said.

Dr. Beilenson says the shortage in testing will be problematic in preparing for hospitalizations. People can still request testing through their primary care doctor.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.