Wait for coronavirus test results wears on many in NC

A Moore County man, for example, was tested Monday and remains quarantined at home waiting to find out if he's North Carolina's next confirmed case.

With a fever over 102 degrees and a history of respiratory problems, the county health department sent the 51-year-old man to FirstHealth Moore Regional Hospital to be tested. He then went home and posted a notice on his front door warning others to stay away.

"I got tested for it. I might have it, and stay away from me until I know," he said Thursday. "There are times when I can't breathe."

Stuck at home, he can't go out for food and doesn't want to put his his elderly parents at risk.

"I'm by myself. So what do I do?" he said.

Local food banks and social service agencies are slammed during the outbreak, so WRAL Investigates reached out to the state Department for Aging. The agency responded almost immediately, sending a box of food to him.

"There are people that really need some help, so reach out to those people and help them," he said. "Don't just think of yourself right now."

Hundreds of people across North Carolina are similarly living in a bubble, waiting for their coronavirus test results, as labs scramble to meet the demand.

So far, more than 2,500 tests have been conducted statewide – about one test for every 4,000 residents.

A state health lab, which for days was missing a key testing ingredient, has performed 549 tests, or about 20 percent of the state total. Private labs have conducted the rest.

Testing is ramping up, however. In the last day or so, all labs in the state conducted 655 tests, with 119 at the state lab. That means the state lab is running close to capacity, with the ability to do about 140 tests a day.

State health officials say they have enough supplies to do about 900 tests and hope to receive more supplies in the coming days.

As testing expands, officials say, the number of positive tests will continue to rise.

But Dr. Mandy Cohen, secretary of the state Department of Health and Human Services, said that, although testing remains important to identify cases, it's less of an issue as as North Carolina moves from containment to mitigation.

For now, the Moore County man said he has to deal with day after day of isolation and uncertainty.

"I'm just sitting next to my phone waiting," he said. "I kind of feel like we're in an apocalypse."