Buffalo, NY (WBEN) The Erie County Department of Health is releasing results of its disease investigations on the individuals who tested positive for COVID-19 in Erie County. There are currently 29 lab confirmed cases in Erie County residents.
The final 32 tests today run on Erie County came back negative. So we still have 29 confirmed cases. https://t.co/IB4sNEAo72
— Mark Poloncarz (@markpoloncarz) March 20, 2020
But testing is limited because supplies are not available.
Health Commissioner Dr. Gale Burstein says the Public Health Lab is running tests on specimens already collected and did not collect new specimens Thursday.
"523 Erie County residents had specimens collected by Erie County Department of Health staff. 179 were negative and there are 315 that are pending," says Burstein.
"I was able to procure through New York State another 200 swabs. I get disappointed when I hear someone on a national level saying testing is readily available because it's not true," says Poloncarz.
"The legislature has approved $5 million in emergency funding. We have the money to purchase them, we just can't get them. They're just not available, and it's a national issue. My colleagues across the country are dealing with the same thing." Poloncarz says he tried to go through third party sources, but those sources are only giving supplies to New York State. "When it comes to tests in New York State, New York State is controlling where the swabs go and I don't blame them because they want to conduct tests throughout the state," notes Poloncarz.
"Erie County hasn't dropped the ball, because the county hasn't been given the ball," says Poloncarz. "We are under the assumption the White House turned down the World Health Organization's offer to provide test kits to the US so we could prepare. Why they did that, you'll have to ask the president or the White House staff. If they were offered to the Erie County Department of Health, we would have said we'll take it as long as we have the product to take the tests."
