Turnout at the Federal Surge Test Sites is Way Less Than Capacity in Phoenix

As per the reports available on July 15, the state of Arizona had the highest rate of Coronavirus tests that were turned positive in the US. One out of every four tests gave a positive result, which indicates that the state does not have enough testing facilities. So beginning July 17, the US Department of Health and Human Services has set up facilities in Maryvale and South Phoenix to test up to 5000 people per day. Both these areas have reports of people waiting in the scorching heat just to get tested. The gush in testing is expected to last for 12 days.

However, it seems that all is not well as the reports that came in after the 1st weekend of the free federally run test sites gave indications that demand was much less than supply as less than 1/3rd of the available tests were used. On Friday, Saturday and Sunday, the two locations tested only a little more than 4500 individuals, which was way short than the available slots for 15000 for the three days. Maryvale was more crowded on Saturday, and the average time was about 30 min. It was not uncommon to find Maryvale crowded on weekends, but the turnout at the South Mountain site was disappointing. On Monday, people in Maryvale waited for an average of 12 min, but it was less than five minutes at the South Mountain Park.

The sites at Maryvale and South Mountain Park were chosen for the surge test locations as these two areas were very close to the underserved parts of Phoenix, which has seen the most surges in COVID-19 cases. The Arizona state has seen a total of around 135000 positive cases, but the number of cases could be way higher as many people have not been tested, and some are infected, although they show no signs of sickness. Arizona became a hot-spot in Coronavirus cases as the stay-at-home orders were suddenly relaxed along with other restrictions. Now the State, it seems, is dealing with more cases than it can handle.