KATY MAGAZINE NEWS
July 24, 2020
By Natalie Cook Clark
COVID-19 cases continue to rise in the Katy area making a clear response to testing and resources more important than ever. While Katy residents have had access to testing and other services during this ongoing pandemic, some have had anything but positive experiences.
Katy Residents Share Different Testing Experiences
Although testing is easily available, experiences have varied. Some Katy residents were satisfied with the process and results, while others have complained about false positives and testing errors.
Krystal Nalesnik tested positive but questioned her results because her entire family tested negative and she felt fine.
“I got retested the next day because I knew I didn’t have it and that test came back negative,” says Krystal Nalesnik. “There is absolutely no way I had it.”
Her family decided to get tested because they knew they were exposed and wanted to be sure.
Nalesnik’s first test was a rapid test at Memorial Village ER. Her second test, two days later, was conducted at AFC Urgent Care in Fulshear. She got a negative result two days after the second test.
“If I would have known that the rapid test could produce false positives, I would have never wasted my time on it,” says Nalesnik.
Local Urgent Care Releases Statement on Error
Next Level Urgent Care on Katy Fort Bend County Road issued a statement after a patient was given incorrect test results. Valeria Garcia was told she was positive for COVID-19 and went into quarantine with her positive father. She later noticed that her birthday was incorrect on her test. When she called Next Level Urgent Care, they confirmed the information had been incorrect.
“We are extremely sorry that a clerical error by a temporary worker caused a patient to receive a result that was not hers," says Next Level Urgent Care in a statement. "We have tested over 50,000 Houstonians and have not encountered another issue like this."
Many residents have been tested and while it can take a long time to get test results, many have had good experiences.
Long Result Waits with Overworked Labs
“I got tested at MedExpress off Morton and 99,” says Whitney Peper, who knew she had been exposed. “I got there early and was first in line. However, it took a long time to get my test results back, but I understand the labs are busy.” It took Peper seven business days to get her negative test result.
Zehra Carrasco’s husband went to Preferred Urgent Care in Cinco Ranch and had a good experience.
“I made the appointment for him that morning,” says Carrasco. “He arrived 10 minutes before his appointment and was told to wait in the car. The lady came to swab him at his car. He got results in five days and was negative. It was a smooth experience.”
Jenifer and Hope Franklin were tested through UT Physicians at a UT lab and had doctor’s orders for the test.
“We went to a location in Rosenberg because they had the soonest appointment,” says Jenifer Franklin. “They came out to our car to do the test. All in all, we were at the testing site for 20 minutes. Our results were back in 24 hours and were negative.”
Local Cases Continue to Rise
Harris County public health officials confirmed 1,444 new cases of COVID-19 for yesterday, July 23, including 758 new cases in the city of Houston and 627 new cases in Harris County outside of the city.
A total of 58,480 COVID-19 cases have now been confirmed in Harris County, which includes 38,790 active cases, 19,129 recoveries and 560 deaths.
As of July 19, positive COVID-19 tests are at 22%.
Fort Bend County just surpassed 6,000 cases of coronavirus, including 113 newly reported cases.
Waller County just reported their first positive case since June 24.
There are many testing sites around Katy and prices range from free to $175 out of pocket. Primary care physicians can offer patients suggestions on locations for testing if needed.
“I would highly recommend anyone that test positive but feels asymptomatic to get retested,” says Nalesnik.