CHARLESTON, S.C. — Since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) has been working to help test thousands of South Carolinians across the state, but, like many systems, a strain on resources is creating a challenge.
According to MUSC's most recent COVID-19 report, they're experiencing critical supply problems, and a strain on personnel and lab equipment, as demand for testing continues to increase.
"Worldwide, due to the demand for testing and a pre-COVID-19 tight supply of medical technicians, the ability to increase testing further is limited by personnel," the report says. "To exacerbate this problem, many labs are also dealing with lab personnel absences due to community-acquired COVID-19 illnesses."
A heavy demand for testing is also leading to wear and tear on complex lab instruments being used continually at a higher than usual level, according to the report. The system is also competing with other institutions and companies around the nation for qualified technicians to assist with repairs when needed. This can lead to delays and downtime for critical instruments, MUSC says.
John Williams with the S.C. Hospital Association says other facilities have also had challenges with staffing and equipment.
"There is a strain on the equipment being used so much," Williams said. "Hospitals are doing all that they can to assist in testing so that they can turn the results around much quicker."
MUSC added that many outside reference labs are no longer accepting samples from systems due to their own capacity issues, which reduces their overflow capacity.
"Due to these challenges, MUSC Health is keeping a close eye on its capacity to test. Our goal is to maintain the quality, timeliness and volume of testing needed by our state and community," the report said. "It is possible that one or all of these challenges may reduce our test volume capability. This could result in temporary changes to the testing paradigm in order to conserve tests for those requiring hospitalization, health care workers, and first responders. This would allow MUSC Health to focus testing on patients who need it the most. No changes have been made at this time. We will keep the public closely informed as to these changes."
MUSC said their leadership teams are working to find alternative and innovative solutions to address these challenges.