Health officials confident in supplies as testing capacity expands in Missouri
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)
The director of the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services says he is confident in the availability of testing materials in the state.
At the governor's daily briefing on Tuesday, Dr. Randall Williams said the state now has the capacity to test 60,000 people every week. The department has been working on expanding testing, as it is one of Gov. Mike Parson's pillars to reopen the state.
Williams said that having the capacity to do the tests does not mean that the labs in the state have the right amount of materials to do the testing.
He said reaching the testing capacity boils down to two main points: access for people to get tested and the physical testing materials.
Williams said he is confident Missourians have access to testing and pointed to the 151 mobile testing sites that have opened across the state.
"That is a testament to what the sate was able to do because we wanted testing, so we have access," Williams said.
But some labs across the state have reported a shortage of materials needed to administer the tests, like swabs. Williams said from his experience, the state has been able to provide those materials where needed.
"By in large, I wouldn't say that's true. I wouldn't deny there are certain places," Williams said.
The state health department does have a stockpile of materials set aside for its large scale "boxing in" strategy.
Williams said the state is also set to receive a shipment of testing supplies from the White House. He didn't give an exact number or date as to when those would arrive, but he expects a large amount.
"Based on what the White House is sending the State of Missouri and based on what I'm hearing from our commercial lab partners... We think we're going to be in a really good place in our testing sampling kits," Williams said.
ABC17 News has reached out to the department for more information about the supplies coming from the federal government, but have not received a response.
