This week the state’s Test Iowa program has passed the 100-thousand mark in number of tests conducted.
Governor Kim Reynolds announced in April that a group of Utah companies were being paid $26 million to supply the test kits. The first Test Iowa site opened April 25th in Des Moines.
“Last week, Test Iowa sites across the state surpassed the capacity of 3000 tests per day,” Reynolds said.
There are now 20 “Test Iowa” sites in the state. Some are drive-through sites. Others are set up in partnership with local hospitals and clinics. According to the governor, 21 percent of the COVID-19 tests that have been done in Iowa since March have been run through the Test Iowa program. Reynolds said Test Iowa is currently the state’s number one source for tests.
“As demand for testing continues to grow, Test Iowa appointments are filling up quickly, so even though we’ve far exceeded our capacity for the past two weeks, we’re mindful that we can push our capacity limits only so far,” Reynolds said. “While our volume of tests are in good supply, we are considering different ways to adjust operations at some of our test sites and at the State Hygienic Lab so that we can further expand capacity to meet the demands of Iowans that want to be tested.”
Iowans must use the Test Iowa app or call to schedule an appointment time for a COVID-19 test. Sites in Des Moines and Waukee account for 40 percent of the tests conducted through the Test Iowa program this month.