New Jersey-based commercial lab giant Quest Diagnostics had thousands of coronavirus test orders waiting to be completed, leading to days of delays, CNN reported Wednesday, citing internal company documents.
Quest, headquartered in Secaucus, had about 160,000 coronavirus tests waiting for processing on March 25, according to CNN’s report. The company has 320,000 orders for tests in all.
Health experts across the country have called for increasing testing capacity as a crucial step in controlling the spread of the coronavirus. Many states, including New Jersey, also conduct tests at health department facilities, though private lab companies have more capacity for testing.
Quest did not immediately return a message from NJ Advance Media late Wednesday. Company spokesperson Wendy Bost told CNN the backlog for tests recently dropped. Quest can do more than 30,000 tests daily and return results in about four to five days, according to the company.
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Advancements in testing can help health officials quickly identify outbreaks. New Jersey was selected as one of the states to use a testing technology by Abbott Labs, which can detect coronavirus in five minutes. The Abbott test will be deployed in Bergen County, the county hardest hit by the virus in the state with 3,494 confirmed cases.
It was unclear how Quest’s reported backlog impacted New Jersey tests. Spokespeople for the governor’s office and health department did not immediately comment late Wednesday.
Recent interviews with several New Jersey residents showed frustration over lack of access to testing.
Labs have conducted at least 29,822 coronavirus tests during the outbreak with a positive rate of 35%, New Jersey Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli said Saturday. Persichilli and Gov. Phil Murphy noted the importance of expanded testing, but said the state must prioritize the sickest or highest-risk people.
State officials opened two drive-thru testing centers, one in Bergen County and the other at PNC Bank Arts Center in Holmdel. Both were quickly flooded with people seeking tests, forcing the facilities to close early.
At least 22,255 individuals were confirmed positive for the virus in New Jersey as of Wednesday, according to the state health department.
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Noah Cohen may be reached at ncohen@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @noahyc. Find NJ.com on Facebook.