UPDATED NJ Woman: Getting Coronavirus Test Harder Than Fort Knox

GARWOOD, NJ — "Amy," a woman who recently moved to Garwood, NJ, wasn't sure where to turn this past weekend after being denied a coronavirus test at various facilities over the last three weeks. By Saturday, she said she was struggling to breathe, and sent an email to Patch asking, "I don't know who to call or what to do? Do I call the police? The mayor? Who the heck can help me?"

[NOTE: See update at the end of the story]

Amy is like many people who have been feeling ill and hoping to get tested for the new coronavirus, but who either don't know where to get tested, or have been turned away because of the shortage of tests. A new testing facility that opened on Monday at the PNC Arts Center had to close by 10 a.m. because of the demand. (It will reopen Tuesday). The same situation occurred on Sunday in Bergen County.

Several concerned New Jersey residents have sent emails to Patch or posted on their town Patch sites — representing just a small number of those who are likely asking the same questions of their doctors or public officials.

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New Jersey reported 2,844 cases and 27 deaths as of Monday. Officials say they are opening more testing sites and hoping to get more tests. A new drive-through coronavirus testing facility in Union County opened this week.

On Saturday, Amy reached after reading a Patch story about a Westfield dad's struggles to get tested for coronavirus. (Amy doesn't want her real name used, but needed help and felt she had exhausted all the resources.)

"I read your article about the man in Westfield who had to fight to get the COVID 19 test!" she wrote in an email on Saturday. "I have been trying for 2+ weeks to get tested! I went to urgent care Summit Med group in Summit on March 3. Was told I had a sinus infection. Put on antibiotics. Tested negative for strep and flu...." She went on a scheduled road trip to Florida, but got worse while there, with pain in her lungs. She heard about the virus spreading in that state. She saw doctors down South who told her she had bronchitis.

Amy, who is in her 50s, returned home and felt worse. "March 16 I was so sick I went to the tent set up at Summit Med group in Berkeley Heights," she said. "Denied the test again!"

That night, "They sent me to Overlook Hospital ER [in Summit] on Monday night. I sat there for seven hours in hell with a mask on, and getting into the ER was like trying to break into Fort Knox! I told them my medical history and all the places I went seeking medical help. I also told them that I am a high-risk patient because I am immunosupressed and that I have asthma along with other debilitating underlying illnesses that can not be cured."

She added, "Well that didn't matter! Once again I got a chest xray, flu test, strep test and bloodwork. I pleaded for the COVID 19 test but still the answer was no. I came home feeling horrible and have been getting worse all week long!"

By this past Saturday she felt increasingly desperate and worried.

"Yesterday I called my doctor's office and was put on hold for 30 minutes so I hung up," she wrote. "I called back the Urgent Care in Summit where I went before and spoke to the woman on the phone. I told her my symptoms and I've been sick for three weeks now...she said I didn't meet the criteria and she cannot change the rules, as she yelled at me and hung up on me!"

Finally, she said, "As I lay in bed trying to relax snd sleep I couldn't breathe. I slept sitting up. My whole body was shaking as I was trying to breathe, choking on the liquid running from my sinuses down my throat, coughing up phlegm. Every breath I felt like would be my last. I cannot get air! It's like I'm drowning! I don't know who to call or what to do? Do I call the police? The mayor? Who the heck can help me?"

She gave Patch permission to forward her email to Mayor Sara Todisco of Garwood, who responded quickly, calling Amy and talking to her on the phone. The mayor also talked to the police chief. (If you have an immediate health emergency, call 911.)

The mayor advised Amy to go to CityMD in Clark the next day. That made Amy feel a lot better.

But that day, Amy still had to struggle.

"I went to CityMD today in Clark and I was seen by a wonderful, smart woman who is a PA," Amy recounted late on Sunday. "She sat and took the time to talk to me, listen to my medical history and examine me. She really cared and it showed in her actions, how she spoke to me and treated me. That meant the world to me after the weeks of 'run around'."

Amy added, "She told me that they were out of COVID19 tests as they only receive six a day, but that she would give me a letter that would allow me to go to another testing location. I called the Urgent Care at Summit Medical Group on Diamond Hill Road and went back there to get tested!"

But, she said, "Believe it or not when I got there they gave me a hard time! I stood my ground totally frustrated because I felt like I was so close to finally getting the medical test I needed and I couldn't believe that even though I had a note written just 20 minutes prior, they were still questioning me! I stood my ground (telling myself to stay calm) and I was given the COVID19 test finally!"

She said that the nurse "stuck the testing swab so far into my nasal cavities I swear she hit a few brain cells, but at that point I didn't care."

She took another flu test, which was negative, so now they'll test the specimen for coronavirus, she said.

"I should have the results in 5-7 days," she wrote. "I'm working at home this week ... Meanwhile I'm praying a lot for my health and everyone's health in our country!"

So Amy waits — just like so many wait, as the number of sufferers grows and many await testing. New Jersey has reported 2,844 cases and 27 deaths as of Monday.

If you need immediate help, call 911. For questions about the coronavirus test, the state has set up hotlines here, and you can also call 211 with questions.

Mayor Todisco said later on Monday, "Generally, my advice is to call the COVID hotline at 1-800-222-1222 or 211 as well as their primary care physician. They may also contact local urgent care facilities, such as CityMD in Clark. The key is to get a doctor's note before going to a site to get tested."

Officials say they are opening more testing sites and hoping to get more tests. New testing centers are opening almost daily, including a new drive-through coronavirus testing facility in Union County.

Experts say that the novel coronavirus, because it's new, is more lethal and much harder to treat than the flu. More than 15,000 people have died worldwide.

Coronaviruses are a family of viruses that include the common cold as well as much more serious diseases. The strain that emerged in China in late 2019, now called COVID-19, is related to others that have caused serious outbreaks in recent years, including severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS). The first confirmed case of COVID-19 in the U.S. was on Jan. 21.

[UPDATE: "Amy" said on March 26 that her test came back negative, and she was so happy. "I'm feeling better every day," she wrote. "It was just a bad case of bronchitis. "

In response to comments, she added, "I would never deliberately put any other person in harm's way. That's why I took alllll necessary precautions and then some to make 100 percent sure I was not potentially spreading anything to anyone. I wore a mask and gloves while we traveled home. Also, as an aside, when I went to the doc down South I asked for the COVID-19 test and they told me that no hospitals in the area had any of the tests yet! I thought that was crazy!"

Got a news tip or idea, or just want to reach out? Email caren.lissner@Patch.com.