Illinois broadens who can receive COVID-19 tests as testing capacity increases

Illinois is broadening the categories for who can receive COVID-19 tests

Gov. JB Pritzker said workers categorized as essential workers, like healthcare workers, first responders and government employees, as well as nursing home residents and staff, and individuals with compromised immune systems and chronic medical conditions will be able to receive tests at any of the state’s 251 testing sites.

Those with symptoms are encouraged to seek tests.

Officials also announced the state will open four additional drive-thru sites. One site in the southside of Chicago will open tomorrow, with sites in Champaign, Peoria and Rolling Meadows to open in the coming days. Illinois currently operates seven drive-thru sites across the state.

“We won’t stop growing our testing until this pandemic is over,” Pritzker said.

A total of 26,565 tests were completed over the past 24 hours, the second-most in any 24-hour period since the pandemic began. A total of 538,602 tests have been completed.

The statewide seven-day rolling positivity rate is 16 percent.

Pritzker also addressed growing concerns over the reliability of the rapid testing system provided by North Chicago’s Abbott Laboratories. The Food and Drug Administration has cautioned that early studies have shown the machines used in the system may return false negative results.

Of the tests completed over the past 24 hours, Pritzker said about 3,000 of the tests used Abbott’s rapid-testing machines. Roughly 50,000 of the total tests completed by the state have used the machines.

Pritzker said they are tracking the FDA’s guidance and have started to take a closer look at test results from those machines. He suggested that private and public entities using the system for coronavirus testing wait for further advice from the federal government.

“We’ve all been put on notice by the FDA,” he said.

Abbott said in a statement they have issues with the initial studies showing problems with the machines.

“While we understand no test is perfect, test outcomes depend on a number of factors including patient selection, specimen type, collection, handling, storage, transport and conformity to the way the test was designed to be run,” they said.

State officials reported 130 more COVID-19 deaths on Friday, bringing the state’s total to 4,058. An additional 2,432 COVID-19 cases were reported, bringing the state’s total to 90,369 cases.

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