Andrew L Vavra sent a message to Stephen Rusckowski that said:
Dear Mr Rusckowski
I am a Quest patient and being an organ transplant patient (double lungs 2016) who needs to get numerous blood tests on a monthly basis, and am in a high risk category.
Under more normal circumstances I would feel comfortable that the Quest employees at local testing centers take all required precautions to provide safe and sanitary conditions for my blood to be drawn. Under the current circumstances I do not.
I am very concerned about the announcement made earlier this week by Quest about the âconsumer-initiatedâ antibody test now being offered, and that it will cause uncontrolled numbers of people to crowd your centers seeking tests, which has a high likelihood of overwhelming Quest's ability to control the onrush of test seekers.
For an immune compromised person such as myself, this has ta very high likelihood of creating a life threatening environment for me, not only from Covid 19, but any of a multitude of other respiratory diseases and respiratory infections such overcrowding will create.
I would like to know how Quest plans to control this situation when many dozens of people descend on your testing centers simultaneously, and what steps you will be taking to protect your immune compromised customers.
To put it conservatively, I am 10X more likely to become infected than the average person, and want to now what you will be doing to protect me. I should also add that many of the tests I need to have performed on a monthly basis require that the test be taken within a 12 hour window of my last doses of medication or the test is rendered invalid.
If I visit a quest center and the waiting are is filled with patients, not only does my risk of infection go out of sight, but it is virtually assured that the testing window will be exceeded.
Will Quest be providing an isolation area for immune compromised patients?
Will Quest put in place a process to ensure I can get my monthly tests on a time when your local centers are overwhelmed with Covid test seekers?
What steps is Quest taking to better manage what is expected to be higher level of persons seeking tests so that those of us in need of "monthly maintenance" can get our tests in time.
Thank you in advance for a timely response.
Andrew Vavra
