Covid Test Shortage In Kittitas Valley Healthcare

Kittitas Valley Healthcare-KVH will no longer offer free COVID testing to Kittitas County. According to the Public Hospital website, “sudden and extreme supply chain shortages” force the changes starting Jan. 28.

KHV said on social media that it would prioritize the tests available for patients who need results to determine clinical treatment or others who require results before undergoing procedures at Kittitas Valley Healthcare.

“KVH was unexpectedly notified late on Jan. 25 that their testing supply was gone. KVH is allocated 100 tests per week with an average demand of 600 tests per week. KVH, therefore, needs to prioritize testing for patient care,” according to a Kittitas County Public Health Department press release.

The news comes at the worst time. A Kittitas County COVID-19 Update this week reported that KVH saw the highest number of people testing in a single day. In addition, the Kittitas County Public Health Department reported the highest number of positive cases during January.

Kittitas County Health Public Director Tristen Lamb said the county “has had efficiency and access unlike others because KVH stepped in to help. KVH has not only provided 44,445 tests, but they led the vaccination efforts and coordinated hundreds of volunteers in addition to their primary duties of hospital care for patients during a pandemic.”

Pharmacies and other medical facilities are available for Covid testing. The Covid testing locations available in Kittitas County can be found at the Washington State Health Department website.

There are also free test kits available via www.covidtests.gov.

KVH joined other organizations around Washington that have reported a lack of test supplies.

This week the Bellingham School District announced similar changes due to limited access to tests. Covid test shortage also will affect the Medical Lake School District, according to local media.

The current conditions have also changed the ongoing reporting of daily Covid cases on the Kittitas County Health Department dashboard. Now, the department is prioritizing positive Covid cases for school-aged children and adults over 60.

Since March 2020, the KHV has performed more than 44,000 free Covid tests.

The Kittitas County case summary Washington COVID-19 Data Dashboard as of Jan. 13, 2022, indicates that the 7-day case trend per 100,000 population is 1,217 cases; Covid patients occupy 31% of hospital beds, and 40% of the population is fully vaccinated.