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Iowans say there's a lack of TestIowa appointment availability

One resident had to drive nearly an hour away to get tested for COVID-19.

DES MOINES, Iowa — Five out of the eight TestIowa drive-through clinics do not have open appointments for Iowans to get tested for coronavirus.

As of Thursday afternoon, just three sites, Storm Lake, Marshalltown, and Council Bluffs offered appointment slots for individuals seeking to get tested. For residents living in Polk County, the most populated area in the state, the closest TestIowa site is nearly an hour away. 

Chris Durand of Des Moines said he had been informed he had contact with a number of individuals who tested positive for coronavirus, so he wanted "some peace of mind" with a test.

"Using the actual test Iowa site was a breeze, but only my first test I was able to find a time slot in central Iowa. The next two times, Marshalltown was the closest option," said Durand. "To me it’s very disappointing to see central Iowa not have the capability to offer more options. TestIowa gave the option to wait to hear back about new times being released, but when you’re trying to get tested as quickly as what’s offered, that wait can be rather difficult."

Bre Boheman of Des Moines ran into the same problem with appointment availability through TestIowa. She was hoping to get tested before she traveled to northeast Iowa to meet her new nephew.

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"I work in healthcare, not a hospital setting, but a but busy clinic. It just seemed the responsible thing to do and not risk exposing my family," said Broh.

Boheman said she tried to get tested through her regular doctor's office, but was told, "we don't test just to test." She said she didn't have symptoms, tried contacting a few walk-in clinics around the metro, and was told the same thing.

"I logged on to the Test Iowa website, and after completing their questionnaire, I received a message that i did qualify for a test," said Boheman. "There are currently two TestIowa sites in the Des Moines area, and both gave me a message that there were no appointments available. I understand that we need to be prioritizing the sick and more vulnerable populations. However, we have been told by our elective officials from very early on that “anybody that wants a test can have a test.” That is clearly not the case."

Local 5 looked into if we experienced the same problems as Boheman and Durand. A team member went through the assessment, was told she qualified for a test, and then was given the screen below when trying to book an appointment.

Credit: TestIowa

As seen above, the message given when trying to book an appointment reads, "There are no available time slots - please select a different location." Our team member selected different sites, but was given the same message for five out of the eight options. 

A spokesman for the governor's office said, "We are seeing an increase in demand for Test Iowa, which is a reflection of the program's success. Continuing to explore how we can increase capacity."

If you want to complete the online assessment for TestIowa, you can do so here.

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