In San Angelo, Receiving Coronavirus Test Results Will Speed Up Soon, Doctor Says

SAN ANGELO, TX -- A long line of cars were stretched down Oakes St. in downtown San Angelo awaiting a coronavirus screening/testing on Monday morning.

There, citizens can be evaluated by an on-site nurse practitioner to determine whether or not a coronavirus test needs to be administered.

"The patient has to have fever and symptoms of respiratory like cough, lower respiratory symptoms, shortness of breath and then travel to one of these level three countries," said Douglas Schultz, M.D., FAAP at Shannon Medical Center. "The exception to that is somebody who's extremely ill—so ill that they need to be in the hospital. Those people are being tested even if they haven't traveled anywhere."

According to Johns Hopkins University, as of this afternoon West Texas had 33 confirmed cases of the coronavirus and as of 2 pm today, according to the City of San Angelo, there have been 144 total tests for the virus in San Angelo with 41 coming back negative and 133 pending. There are no confirmed cases of COVID-19 in San Angelo.

However, Shannon Medical Center can only administer so many tests per day. 

"There is a limit that we have at Shannon. We only have a certain number of tests that we have been able to get," said Dr. Schultz. "We get more every day just like any supply so if we exhaust those then we will simply instruct those patients here at this remote center to come back tomorrow and we will do those tests then."

Ventilators are on high demand to combat the coronavirus. Although the number of ventilators Shannon has was not given out today, the hospital did offer some reassurance. 

"We do have plenty of ventilators at Shannon and our ventilators are actually a type that can ventilate two people at the same time which is pretty amazing. So we actually have double capacity to double the number of patients on a ventilator if it ever came to that," said Dr. Schultz.

Coronavirus tests are taking up to 7 to 10 days to return. Shannon could have an answer to test results faster and in the near future.

"There are some newer tests coming out that we may be able to run here at Shannon without sending them out and the turnaround time will be much faster. We are testing that right now In our equipment," said Dr. Schultz. "We have the equipment to do it. We are just making sure that it is working correctly and soon I hope we will have that ability here locally to test."

Dr. Schultz added that another test site could be on the way as soon as this week.