SOMEBODY
SOMEBODY AT WORK AND THEY CAME BACK POSITIVE.
BACK POSITIVE. NOW, I KNOW YOU HAVE NEVER GONE
THROUGH THIS BEFORE AND NEITHER
HAVE I. BUT WE ARE GOING TO GO
THROUGH IT TOGETHER.
SO TELL US WHAT YOUR THINKING.
ASK IS YOUR QUESTIONS, EMAIL ME
AT KGW.COM.
AT KGW.COM. MATCH THE ADDRESS ON FACEBOOK
OR INSTAGRAM OR TWITTER.
USE #TRAN06.
USE #TRAN06. THE LACK OF TESTING IS THE
BIGGEST PROBLEM HERE IN OUR
STATE.
STATE.
STATE. TAKE A LOOK AT THESE NUMBERS.
OREGON CAN PROCESS 80 TESSA
DAY.
DAY.
DAY. IN
DAY. IN WASHINGTON, THEY HAVE A LOT
MORE AND THEY CAN PROCESS 1000
TESTS EVERY DAY.
IN CALIFORNIA, IS MUCH HIGHER.
THEY CAN PROCESS 7400 TEST
EVERYTHING THEY.
EVERYTHING THEY. NOW EVEN WHEN YOU CONSIDER
POPULATION DIFFERENCES, WE ARE
STILL WAY, WAY BEHIND.
AND THAT IS BECAUSE THEY ARE
LETTING PRIVATE COMPANIES HEALTH
WITH THE TESTING IN THE STATES.
NOW, THE GOVERNING HER SAYS
THEY ARE WORKING WITH THE FEDS
TO GET MORE TESTS IN THE STATE
OF OREGON.
OF OREGON. RIGHT NOW, WE ARE ONLY TESTING
THE SICKEST OF THE SICK PEOPLE.
NOW IF YOU REALLY WANT A TEST
THAT THE STATE WILL APPROVE,
YOU CAN GO THROUGH A PRIVATE
TESTING COMPANY, BUT NOT EVERY
TESTING WILL BE COVERED BY
INSURANCE.
INSURANCE. WE TOOK THEM TO PAT DOORIS WHO
WENT OUT AND LOOKED FOR SOME
ANSWERS ON HOW THIS PROCESS
ACTUALLY WORKS.
ACTUALLY WORKS. >> Reporter: WHEN THE COVID-19
VIRUS FIRST REACH THE UF, THERE
WERE FEW TEST TO DISCOVER, SO
THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT STARTED
PREPARING TEST KITS AND SENDING
THEM ACROSS THE COUNTRY.
>> BY THE END OF THIS PAST
WEEK, 1.1 MILLION TEST HAS BEEN
SHIPPED OUT TO PUBLIC HEALTH
LABORATORIES AND PRIVATE LIVES
OF HOSPITALS.
OF HOSPITALS. THESE WERE MADE BY THE CDC AND
BY PRIVATE MANUFACTURERS.
AT THIS TIME, ANOTHER 1 MILLION
TESTS ARE AVAILABLE TO FILL
ORDERS OR ARE BEING SHIPPED.
>> Reporter: THE CDC PUT A
PICTURE I'LL OF THE FILES IN
THE KIT.
THE KIT.
THE KIT. EACH TUBE WOULD CONTAIN
DIFFERENT AGENTS THAT HOPE SORT
THROUGH THE MICROSCOPIC SOUP TO
PINPOINT THE VIRUS.
>> IT CAN CONTAIN A COUPLE
DIFFERENT MATERIALS THAT ARE
USEFUL FOR TESTING.
ONE IMPORTANT ONE IS WHAT IS
CALLED A PRIMARY.
THAT HELPS US TO RECOGNIZE
PARTICULAR GENETIC MATERIAL
THAT IS VERY SPECIFIC TO THE
VIRUS THAT YOU ARE TESTING FOR.
IN THIS CASE, WE ARE TALKING
ABOUT THE ONE THAT CROSSES
COVID-19.
COVID-19.
COVID-19. >> Reporter: A LOT OF US
THOUGHT THOSE KIDS WENT TO
HOSPITALS AND DOCTORS, BUT THAT
IS NOT THE CASE.
THEY WENT TO THE STATE HEALTH
DEPARTMENT LABS WHERE THE
TESTING ACTUALLY TAKES PLACE.
>> SOMEBODY HAS GOT TO DEVELOP
THIS.
THIS.
THIS. WE
THIS. WE CANNOT MAKE IT OURSELVES AT
THE PUBLIC HEALTH LAB.
AND SO WE ARE WORKING WITH CDC
AS OUR OTHER STATE PUBLIC
HEALTH LABS IN ORDER TO GET
THAT MATERIAL SO WE CAN DO THE
TESTING HERE IN OREGON.
>> Reporter: FOR WEEKS, THE
ONLY WAY THE STATE OF OREGON
COULD RUN THE TEST WAS THROUGH
THE STATE LAB WHICH WOULD TEST
ABOUT 80 SAMPLE TODAY.
NOW, TO HUGE NATIONAL LABS ARE
ALSO UP AND RUNNING.
QUEST AND LAB CORE ARE TESTING
THOUSANDS OF SAMPLES FROM
AROUND THE COUNTRY.
IN THE COLLECTION OF THOSE
SAMPLES, IT'S PRETTY ROUTINE.
THE COMPANIES EVEN HAVE POSTERS
THEY HAVE CREATED TO REMIND
DOCTORS.
DOCTORS.
DOCTORS. BASICALLY INVOLVES SOMETHING
BEING SHOVED UP YOUR NOSE OR IN
THE BACK OF THE THROAT TO
COLLECT THE GUNK THERE IN THE
SPECIMEN IS CAREFULLY FROZEN
AND SENT TO THE LAB.
>> ALL RIGHT, PAT DOORIS
JOINING US NOW.
IF I FEEL LIKE I AM SICK, I
HAVE MILD SYMPTOMS, BUT I WANT
TO GET TESTED BECAUSE I AM
LIVING WITH PEOPLE WHO ARE AT
RISK AND I DON'T WANT TO PASS
IT ON, HOW CAN I GET TESTED
NOW.
NOW.
NOW. >>
NOW. >> YOU'RE GOING TO NEED TO GO
TO YOUR DOCTOR'S OFFICE, AND
YOU SHOULD CHECK TO SEE IF YOUR
INSURANCE COMPANY IS ON THE
LIST OF SEVEN OR EIGHT THAT
HAVE AGREED WITH THE GOVERNOR'S
OFFICE THAT THEY WILL NOT
CHARGE YOU IF YOU ARE LIKE ME,
YOUR INSURANCE COMPANY IS NOT
ON THE LIST.
CALL THEM AND FIND OUT.
MY INSURANCE COMPANY HAS NOT
SEEN ANY BILLS COME THROUGH FOR
THAT, BUT THEY THINK IT COULD
BE $1000.
BE $1000.
BE $1000. IF I GOT A TEST, IT WOULD BE MY
CO-PAY ON MY DEDUCTIBLE AND IT
WOULD KICKING ON THAT.
>> HOW LONG WILL THE TEST TAKES
YOU COME BACK?
>> IT'S GOING TO BE THREE OR
FOUR DAYS.
FOUR DAYS. YOU NEED TO CONVINCE YOUR
DOCTOR TO SEND IT INTO ONE OF
THE PRIVATE COMPANIES, NOT THE
STATE ONE.
STATE ONE. >> LET'S TALK ABOUT THE BIG
PROBLEM TODAY.
PROBLEM TODAY. THE PROBLEM THAT SUPERSEDED THE
TESTING WAS THE DISCUSSION
ABOUT VENTILATORS AND IF WE
HAVE ENOUGH IN THE STATE OF
OREGON.
OREGON.
OREGON. >> IT'S A REAL PROBLEM, BECAUSE
IT'S THE PINCH POINT.
THERE ARE 680 VENTILATORS AT
THE STAY IN HOSPITAL, AND IF
YOU ARE ON YOUR DEATH FROM THIS
VIRUS OR ANYTHING ELSE, YOU'RE
GOING TO NEED A VENTILATOR TO
STAY ALIVE.
STAY ALIVE. THE CHALLENGES, IF A LOT OF
PEOPLE COME THROUGH THE
HOSPITALS ALL AT ONCE, THEY
COULD OVERWHELM THEM AND THAT
IS WHAT'S GOING ON IN ITALY.
THERE ARE MORE PEOPLE THAT NEED
VENTILATORS THAN THEY HAVE
VENTILATORS FOR.
VENTILATORS FOR. THE DOCTORS HAVE TO MAKE LIFE
AND DEATH DECISIONS ON WHO GETS
A VENTILATOR.
A VENTILATOR. >> YOU SAID HOW MANY DO WE
HAVE?
HAVE?
HAVE? >>
HAVE? >> 688.
>> 688.
>> 688. THEY'RE ASKING THE FEDS TO SEND
MORE.
MORE.
MORE. THEY HAVE NOT ARRIVED YET, AND
WE DON'T KNOW IF THEY'RE GOING
TO BE MORE.
THAT'S PART OF WHETHER DOING
THE SOCIAL DISTANCING RIGHT NOW
TO TRY AND FLATTEN THAT CURVE.