Emergency management working to retest those whose COVID-19 tests were damaged

The drive-thru testing line at the CenturyLink coronavirus testing site has been steady since it opened.

About 450 to 550 people have been tested nearly every day at this site alone. Now, more than 100 of those people will have to come back and go through the testing process all over again.

It’s been nearly two weeks since Damaris Naupari got tested for the coronavirus at the CenturyLink site and she still hasn’t gotten the results. Now, she’s worried she never will.

“There might be an issue where mine is a damaged one,” she said.

She’s wondering if her test is one of the more than 1,700 damaged in transit. Of those tests, 31 of them are from the Collier County walk-up testing site and 119 of them were coming from the CenturyLink location where she was tested.

“I’ve been in full quarantine,” she said. “I’m in total seclusion…on a 10-acre property separate from my family for two weeks in total isolation.”

The Florida Division of Emergency Management says these tests could have been damaged a number of ways like if the test had a loose lid, it could have leaked or it could have been mishandled and broke on the way to the lab.

The agency says if yours is one of the damaged tests, you’ll need to get retested at your original site.

“As a person on that list, you come up, you check in with the National Guard, et them know that you had a call that you need to be retested and they will give you priority testing,” said Susan Lindenmuth, public information officer for the testing site, with Florida Division of Emergency Management.

Emergency Management says it plans to contact all 1,700 people whose tests were damaged by the end of the day.

If yours is one of the damaged tests and you were tested at CenturyLink, they have an express line set up just for you. Those tests will be marked priority and shipped overnight.

If you have not been contacted within 5 days after testing, you may request your result by:

1.    Calling: (850) 583-2419 Monday through Friday 8:00 A.M. through 8:00 P.M.
2.    Sending an email to COVID19Results@cdrmhealth.com