KANSAS CITY, Mo. — After 14 days of frustration, a Kansas State University sophomore received his COVID-19 test results from LabCorp.
Noah Ochsner told 41 Action News he had been self-isolating in his Manhattan, Kansas, apartment since March 20.
He received his negative test result on Monday and stepped outside for the first time.
For weeks, Ochsner and his primary care doctor at Lafene Health Center had been waiting for the test results and called for updates almost daily.
“It was a pain in the butt,” Ochsner said. “I think it points out that a private lab was not prepared for the influx of tests that they got. It was kind of scary for awhile because I didn’t know how long it was going to go on, and you also don’t know how valid that sample is going to be for that length of a time and there’s not telling that the sample is going to be valid for that long, I don’t know.”
Labcorp, which tested Ochsner's sample, said turnaround time for results is approximately four to five days, though it can vary depending on factors such as transport time.
“It’s tough, it’s not fun at all,” Ochsner said. “That’s probably one of the most unpleasant medical experience that I’ve had, and I’ve had a lot of medical issues in the past.
“But dealing with LabCorp was probably the toughest part of it all because not only was I trying to get results, but Lafene Health Center was also trying to get results for other patients at the same time. So I mean it was just a big battle of sitting and waiting while they provided us with the results.”
