Nursing homes nationwide are experiencing slow COVID-19 test turnaround times and shortages of antigen tests as cases surge, Kaiser Health News reported Feb. 2.
The nationwide shortage of rapid antigen tests has led to facilities turning to PCR testing, which can take days to get back results. A Kaiser analysis found that 25 percent of nursing homes that sent COVID-19 tests to a lab waited an average of three or more days for results as of Jan. 16, up from 12 percent in early December.
The American Health Care Association, an organization that lobbies for nursing homes and assisted living facilities, said HHS plans to send 5 million more rapid tests in the coming weeks.