SC Officials: First Responders' COVID-19 Test Results Too Slow

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The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control is recommending that first responders — such as police, fire and EMS workers — are considered priorities for coronavirus testing if they’ve shown symptoms.

Locally, Beaufort Memorial Hospital says it started these priority tests three weeks ago — two weeks before the state recommended it.

Not many first responders have been tested, but a substantial delay in test results has county officials concerned about those on the front lines if a major outbreak occurs.

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The delay — officials say results take between four and seven days — means first responders are out of work for longer during a time when 9-1-1 calls are increasing.

“Right now, it’s taking about seven days to get test results for first responders, and that’s not functional for us,” Beaufort County Administrator Ashley Jacobs said. “We need to have people turned around in a shorter time frame, so they can be available to respond to 9-1-1 calls.”

However, Beaufort Memorial Hospital, where first responders are tested, says the backlog that caused the delay has been cleared and the hospital is now seeing test results in 24 to 48 hours.

“Just within the last week, we’ve seen a much faster turnaround time,” said Angie Barber, practice operations administrator for Beaufort Memorial Hospital.

How many first responders have been tested in Beaufort County?

Police, fire and EMS departments across the county have new policies on how they respond to calls to protect first responders.

Most departments are screening 9-1-1 calls to determine whether a person is experiencing symptoms associated with COVID-19, including cough, trouble breathing and fever.

Even with these protective policies in place, several agencies have had employees tested for coronavirus symptoms.

Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Maj. Bob Bromage said six deputies in the sheriff’s department have been tested, and all results came back negative.

Bromage said the results initially came back in about five days, but now they’re taking between three and four days.

Three Beaufort County EMS workers have been tested for coronavirus, Beaufort County Public Information Officer Liz Farrell said. All three tests came back negative, Farrell said.

No first responders have been tested in the Bluffton Police Department, Port Royal Police Department and Bluffton Township Fire District, the agencies confirmed on Thursday.

“We’re taking great precautions and following CDC and DHEC regulations,” Bluffton Fire Capt. Lee Levesque said. “We haven’t gotten to that point thankfully, and I pray we don’t.”

How does priority testing work?

Last last month, DHEC announced it would grant special priority status to first responders who seek testing.

Even before DHEC’s announcement however, Beaufort Memorial Hospital says it was providing priority testing to first responders.

“We started prioritizing our first responders before the state’s recommendation started in an effort to keep that valuable resource out in the field,” said Ashley Hildreth, patient safety officer for the hospital.

In a March 29 health alert, DHEC informed local agencies that even with priority testing, they should consider testing only individuals with symptoms due to a shortage of supplies.

In the health alert, DHEC ranked who should receive testing based on priority:

Priority 1

• Hospitalized patients with symptoms
• Healthcare facility workers with symptoms
• First responders with symptoms

Priority 2

• Patients with symptoms who are in long-term care facilities
• Patients with symptoms who are over age 65
• Patients with symptoms and underlying health conditions (heart and lung disease, diabetes, immunocompromised, pregnant).
• Employees with symptoms who work in congregate settings (e.g., nursing home, long-term care facility, behavioral health facility, childcare, correctional facility).
• Critical infrastructure workers with symptoms

Priority 3

• Individuals with symptoms who do not meet any of the above categories

Barber said that if a first responder has been exposed to the virus and is showing symptoms, that person will go through the full testing process, which includes screening and sample collections.

The samples are then flagged as a “priority” and sent to DHEC for testing.

Typically, Barber said, the hospital will test a first responder only if he or she is showing symptoms.

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