Healthcare Workers Worry About Lack Of Tests, Supplies During Coronavirus Crisis

What’s being called a critical shortage of coronavirus (COVID-19) testing kits, coupled with a shortage of medical equipment has local medical providers concerned.

“No. No testing to be found. I literally called every hospital yesterday. I called friends who are still working in hospital affiliated clinics. No tests to be found. None,” said Nurse Practitioner Leah Melton of the Central Oklahoma Diabetes Clinic.

Melton said she is worried about her patients. All of them have diabetes, so they are all at risk for COVID-19. But she can’t test them or herself to reduce the spread of the virus. There simply aren’t enough testing kits.

“If they continue not knowing if they’re carrying the virus, simply not being able to test these people, puts all of us at risk and puts our most fragile population at risk for COVID-19,” she said.

Some medical supplies are getting scarce too. This morning Melton was down to her last box of medical gloves. “I can’t get gloves for my clinic. My supplier, they’re on backorder,” Melton said. “I have friends who work in clinics for internal medicine and they’re re-wearing dirty masks because they have no personal protection equipment. We have that going on nationwide. And to me that’s heartbreaking.”

Melton, like so many other medical providers, is getting creative.

“So, my husband owns a paint and body shop. He happened to go this morning for some of his supplies and noticed that there were non-latex gloves there. And he was able to buy me some gloves from a paint supply store,” Melton said.

But Melton is worried her luck could run out.

“I’m afraid it’s going to get really really bad,” Melton said.