COVID-19 test results now available within 48 hours after backlog clearance

With the backlog of COVID-19 tests now cleared, Minister of Health Dr Frank Anthony on Friday said that the processing of results from the most recent testing will now be completed within 48 hours.

“At one point we had a large backlog and that was when we were doing more broad scale testing and so because of that backlog we had to reduce the amount of testing that we did for those persons who would just walk in and who felt like they want to have a test without being in contact with persons exposed or so,” Anthony said during a COVID-19 update on Friday.

He added that presently the number of samples that are being sent to the National Public Health Reference Laboratory can be managed and samples can be processed in a timely manner. “In 28 to 48 hours we are able to get those samples out,” he stated.