Another Wichita COVID testing site limits operations due to demand, worker absences

One of Wichita’s free, drive-through COVID-19 testing sites is halting tests for people who don’t have symptoms of the disease, citing an increased demand for tests and employee absences.

Hunter Health announced Friday that it will only test people who have symptoms of COVID-19 until the demand for testing slows.

It was previously testing asymptomatic people prior to travel, before attending events and before returning to work. Those people are no longer eligible, Hunter Health spokesperson John Smith said in a written release.

“Sedgwick County is currently experiencing an all-time high in COVID-19 positivity rates,” he said. “Right now, the two-week positivity rate is 21.2%. That means more than 1 in every 5 people getting tested for COVID-19 is positive with the virus.

“As the demand for testing decreases, we look forward to once again expanding testing eligibility,” Smith said.

Hunter Health will continue to test people with any of these symptoms, even if they’re mild: body and muscle aches, headache, fatigue, loss of taste or smell, sore throat, congestion or runny nose, nausea or vomiting and diarrhea.

Results are typically available in 2-4 business days.

Hunter Health clinic, near Central and Grove, is the latest COVID-19 testing site in the Wichita area to limit its operations this week due to staffing shortages amid record COVID infections and hospitalizations in Sedgwick County. Wichita State University’s Molecular Diagnostic Lab suspended all sampling due to a staff shortage on Wednesday.

Local health officials say the Wichita area is having its worst COVID outbreak so far, with 6,700 new cases last week and 253 patients at the city’s two largest hospital systems, Wesley and Ascension Via Christi, as of Monday.