Omicron leaves testing labs overwhelmed, causing frustrating delays to get results
LOS ANGELES — As the omicron surge drives infection rates to record highs, testing has emerged as an essential tool for limiting its spread. But over the last month, laboratories and manufacturers have struggled to keep up with the demand.
In December, neighborhood pharmacies sold out of rapid antigen tests. Getting an appointment for the more sensitive and definitive PCR test took days, and results even longer. Once again, the pandemic had exposed a weakness in the country's health care system.
"I think that unfortunately, we are as unprepared for the type of surge we are experiencing — from a testing perspective — as we were a year ago," said Omai Garner, who directs the clinical microbiology testing laboratory for UCLA Health.
Free at-home coronavirus testing kits, now available to households around the country, promise to ease the bottlenecks, but questions over shortages and delays threaten to undermine
