Missouri Health and Senior Services Department Director Randall Williams says between the state and private labs, about 1,000 COVID-19 tests can be done each day. In about two weeks, the state will change its response efforts.
Dr. Randall Williams (Photo courtesy of Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services)
“We hope by April first to shift our capability to have the test to test all Missourians who have a fever over 100.4 and a cough,” Williams says during a press conference today in Kansas City. “And we will move that out to local mobile testing sites.”
In the meantime, Williams says the state will save its tests for those who are critically ill. He says private labs do not have “stringent” testing criteria like the state does.
“As we transition to testing everybody in Missouri who has a fever and a cough, it will take us about two weeks to get there. But at this very moment in time, we certainly feel like we have enough tests to cover those people we are most concerned about,” says Williams.
Another person has tested positive for COVID-19 – bringing Missouri’s overall count to six. The latest case announced today involves someone from southwest Missouri’s Greene County – the county’s third case of the respiratory virus. The other cases include two in St. Louis County and one in western Missouri’s Henry County.
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