Center For Covid Control To Halt Testing Operations For One Week
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Facing extremely high demand for COVID-19 testing that has led to delays in getting results, a company that runs dozens of testing sites in the Chicago area is halting operations for one week.
Center for Covid Control said the high demand for testing has stressed resources at many of its locations, straining access to tests, and delaying results for some locations. As a result, the company is pausing operations for one week, starting Friday, with plans to reopen on Saturday Jan. 22.
"Center for Covid Control is committed to serving our patients in the safest, most accurate and most compliant manner. Regrettably, due to our rapid growth and the unprecedented recent demand for testing, we haven't been able to meet all our commitments," founder and CEO Aleya Siyaj said in a statement. "We've made this difficult decision to temporarily pause all operations, until we are confident that all collection sites are meeting our high standards for quality."
The company said the intense demand for testing during the Omicron surge of the pandemic has strained its 3,000 staff members, leading to long wait times at testing sites, and delaying test results.
"For this, we truly apologize and are committed to resolve these recent customer inconveniences and loss of confidence," added Siyaj.
During the hiatus, the company will focus on hiring additional staff to collect and handle samples, to improve customer service and communication, and make sure they can comply with regulatory guidelines for COVID testing.