As of 8/5/20, gonorrhea/chlamydia testing by PCR will remain available but significant delays can be anticipated for a minority of tests (about 4 in 10). Turnaround times up to one week should be expected. Turnaround times for individual patients cannot be estimated.

These delays arise from a shortage of test materials common to gonorrhea/chlamydia testing and COVID-19 testing. This is a nationwide issue and impacts clinical laboratories throughout the country including state public health and large commercial reference laboratories. Continued uncertainty in turnaround times is therefore expected in the intermediate future.

Major updates will be provided in future broadcasts.

Questions concerning this broadcast can be directed to Bradley Ford, MD, PhD, Medical Director of Microbiology; (ext. 6-2990, bradley-ford@uiowa.edu; *8290).