Why health care professionals may be 'frustrated' in their practice amid coronavirus spread

PHOENIX - What are local health care professionals thinking as we deal with this now called pandemic of the coronavirus?

The Arizona Department of Health Services recently allowed FOX 10 to tour its lab and said they have abilities to test 400 samples of potential coronavirus cases a day.

However, there is frustration from some local doctors who are asking why hasn't Arizona tested more people for COVID-19? In a state of 7 million people, 100 have been tested.

Dr. Gorman, an emergency room doctor, says, "We need to test widely and regularly to determine what is the denominator how many patients in the area have it [and] how big is the risk."

"If you're CDC, you might think there's enough test kits to satisfy your narrow testing protocol. That's different from the reality of life which is people with symptoms and doctors who want to test them but can't do it because there aren't enough right now," said Will Humble with the Arizona Public Health Association.

Humble is not surprised that health care professionals are frustrated. 

"That's the very nature of clinical medicine, you're able to get tests back and you use information to help treat your patient and make decisions. That's not what's happening right now because the testing protocol is narrow and being rationed," Humble explained.

As two private labs began testing Monday for COVID-19, expect many more Arizonans will be tested and everyone expects the numbers of the virus to significantly increase across the state.

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Coronavirus (COVID-19)How it spreads, symptoms, prevention, treatment, FAQhttps://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus

Arizona COVID-19 ResponsePublic resources, FAQ, webinarshttps://www.azdhs.gov/coronavirus