COVID-19 lab testing has weekly turnaround

COVID-19 testing turnaround time data is now available for the public on the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services’ coronavirus update website.

The department will be providing updates every Thursday with the exception of Thanksgiving, and the Thursday before Christmas Day and New Year’s Day.

The testing turnaround time table displays data from the past 14 days on the average time it takes for a diagnostic COVID-19 lab test to be reported to the state health department.

“We continue to work hard to expand COVID-19 testing across our state and want Michiganders to get timely test results. Nearly 900,000 test results were reported to the state in the last 14 days with test results averaging less than three days,” Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, chief medical executive and chief deputy for health for the state, said.

The turnaround time for each lab is calculated by subtracting the date of the sample collection from the date the results are received by the state. Transport time is also factored into the equation. One tenth of a day is represented in the table as 2.5 hours.

“We continue to urge Michiganders who wish to be tested to find the testing site nearest to them. This data will help people understand how quickly they may receive results, depending on which lab the site is using,” Khaldun said.

Some factors that could impact how long it a turnaround takes include:

• The method of the lab’s reporting, such as electronic versus manual.

• Reporting specifications, such as standard versus non-standard reporting templates.

• The state’s capacity to process heavy volumes of reports in a given day.