‘Tests are limited’ in SC. How to get tested for coronavirus in the Tri-county area.
Sarah Daniel started feeling sick on Saturday. She had nearly every symptom associated with the coronavirus, or COVID-19. Her throat was sore. She felt tired and was having shortness of breath. But she didn’t have a fever.
Daniel, 42, who lives in Fort Mill, sent a message to her doctor that day describing her symptoms. Her doctor’s office advised that Daniel complete a virtual visit.
She waited four hours for the doctor to pick up.
“They asked me a couple of questions,” she said. “They said, ‘Well, your symptoms don’t come across as coronavirus. They don’t sound like coronavirus. You weren’t out of the country. You weren’t around anybody with coronavirus.’ They didn’t ask me if I was in any public areas that may have been exposed to coronavirus.”
The doctor prescribed Daniel some medicine and told her to stay home and self-isolate. Daniel said the doctor did not want to test her for the coronavirus.
Daniel has two children under the age of 11 and her father is 71, so she’s more concerned about spreading her illness to them. She said she would feel relieved if she could take a test.
On Thursday, Daniel felt worse, so she called her doctor directly.
“They’re still saying because I don’t have a fever and because I wasn’t out of the country, and because they said tests are limited...They cannot get me a test,” Daniel said.
But there’s a reason individuals, like Daniel, who are experiencing less severe symptoms are not getting tested for the virus.
“Supplies to collect samples and run tests are limited,” State Epidemiologist Dr. Linda Bell said during a press conference Thursday. “We do not recommend that everyone who is ill get a test to see if they have COVID-19 infection.”
As of late Friday, the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control has performed 1,255 tests. There is one confirmed case in York County and three cases in Lancaster County. South Carolina has 125 confirmed cases in 25 counties, according to DHEC.
Bell said the department is encouraging healthcare providers to only test those who meet clinical criteria.
“If disease activity increases significantly, we will advise people to stay home, get better and seek medical care if symptoms are worsening,” Bell said. “This will allow our healthcare system and other healthcare providers to give care to those who are most in need and who are seriously ill.”
DHEC spokeswoman Laura Renwick said in an email the department is advising that anyone with fever, cough or shortness of breath, call their healthcare provider first.
Here is information on what criteria local healthcare providers are following and where to go for screening and testing.
ATRIUM
Atrium Health, which has an urgent care in Rock Hill, is advising people with cold and flu-like symptoms to contact the hospital system before visiting a facility in order to mitigate spread of the virus.
Patients can get in touch with doctors through a 24/7 health line, virtual visits and online messaging. Atrium also has an online COVID-19 risk assessment.
“It’s important to note that 80% of individuals that have regular cold and flu-like symptoms get better and don’t need medical care, so we are trying to make sure those that need it most can be cared for most appropriately,” Atrium Health spokesman Chris Berger said in an email to The Herald.
The hospital system, which is able to complete tests in-house, has limited testing to patients who meet a specific criteria. Atrium Health is prioritizing patients who have flu-like symptoms and meet certain risk factors for being infected, including having been exposed to someone with known COVID-19, Berger said.
Testing is not recommended for those who just have flu-like symptoms or have been exposed to someone who has not yet been confirmed with COVID-19, he said.
Atrium Health has several coronavirus testing centers around the Charlotte area, Berger said. The hospital system is not releasing the testing center locations publicly, he said. Patients who have been pre-screened for the virus by doctors will be tested at the centers, he said.
Atrium is also screening for the virus at its hospitals’ emergency department screening centers, Berger said. He said patients are discouraged from visiting the emergency departments hoping to be tested unless patients have “severe symptoms requiring emergency care.”
PIEDMONT
Piedmont Medical Center in Rock Hill follows guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for identification and treatment of patients with suspected or confirmed cases of the coronavirus, Piedmont spokeswoman Daisy Burroughs said.
The hospital has set up a tent outside the entrance of the emergency department used for screening, testing and triage, she said.
According to the CDC’s website, testing is prioritized for patients who are older, have chronic medical conditions, such as diabetes, or have a suppressed immune system. The center is also prioritizing patients who had contact with someone suspected of or confirmed to have the virus and patients who traveled to affected areas.
If a patient at Piedmont meets CDC testing criteria, the hospital will work with the state health department and if necessary, gather a sample and provide it to a CDC-appointed laboratory, Burroughs said.
MUSC Health Lancaster Medical Center
Drive-thru testing is being done between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. at Medical University of South Carolina Hospital Lancaster, said Darren Player, Lancaster County Emergency Management Director.
The drive-thru testing is only available by appointment, Player said.
People who have called in to the MUSC telehealth system with possible symptoms are screened, Player said. If officials believe the person should be tested, testing is done at the drive-thru at the hospital, Player said.
Britt Lineberger, Chester County EMS director, said that any person Chester officials believe should be tested is sent to the Lancaster location to go through the drive-thru testing.
This story was originally published March 21, 2020 at 8:09 AM.
