Illinois

COVID-19 Results Processed By Pekin Lab Delayed 'Beyond Appropriate Window'

WCBU | By Tim Shelley

Published July 31, 2020 at 4:10 PM CDT

A sign on Main Street in downtown Peoria directs people to the IEMA COVID-19 testing site at the Peoria Civic Center Fulton Street parking lot.

The Illinois Department of Public Health said processing of about 3,800 COVID-19 tests at Pekin's Reditus Labs are delayed "beyond the appropriate laboratory testing and reporting window."

The tests conducted between July 12 and July 24 were collected at the Peoria, Bloomington, Aurora, East St. Louis, Rockford, South Holland, and Rolling Meadows community-based testing sites, or mobile testing sites operated by the state.

The state recommends anyone tested in that time frame who has not yet received their test result to go back to a community-based site to have another specimen collected. Testing is free, and no insurance is required.

The IDPH said it is working with Reditus Labs to "improve their interface with specimen collection" at the state-run sites to avoid future delays.

More than 450,000 specimens were collected at the state testing sites between July 12 and July 24. Specimens collected after July 24 are being processed.

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