UPDATE: Ballad Health official says time between COVID testing and results now between 7-10 days

The Northeast Tennessee and Southwest Virginia region is feeling the effects of a nationwide demand for COVID-19 testing.

“We’re at the point now where you may see test results taking anywhere from seven days to ten days up to a week long,” said Jamie Swift, Ballad Health Director of Infection Prevention.

Swift announced this during Ballad’s weekly news conference on Wednesday. She asks that those awaiting test results do not contact the emergency room but says Ballad will contact individuals directly with the result if Ballad conducted the testing.

“You’re welcome to call in and check with Nurse Connect, but the wait can sometimes get long if a lot of people are calling and trying to check on test results. So we will call positive or negative,” said Swift.

Ballad also said as of Wednesday they have 70 patients hospitalized with COVID-19, including 18 in ICU and 13 on a ventilator.

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