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As the state continues to slowly reopen in phases, COVID-19 testing continues. But for some local counties, the turnaround for results is lagging.

Matagorda òòò½ÊÓƵ, which had tested almost 1,300 people for the coronavirus as of Wednesday, is experiencing a backlog of tests awaiting results, Mitch Thames, a spokesman for the county, said in a news release Wednesday.

The county was told they would start getting the results from 67 mobile tests conducted last week by the Texas National Guard on Tuesday and have all those results by Friday, he said.

òòò½ÊÓƵœWeòòò½ÊÓƵ™ve been calling the state and theyòòò½ÊÓƵ™ve not been able to give us any information,òòò½ÊÓƵ� he said.

The Palacios Community Medical Center, Matagorda Medical Group, Matagorda Regional Medical Center and MEHOP are all sending tests to LabCorp, while some private doctors are using other labs, he said. Several of the facilitiesòòò½ÊÓƵ™ results are also pending, Thames said.

He gave residents a heads-up on Wednesday that an unexpected and unexplainable spike could be in store, especially as communities reopen under Gov. Greg Abbottòòò½ÊÓƵ™s orders.

òòò½ÊÓƵœWhat I am trying to do is prepare Matagorda citizens,òòò½ÊÓƵ� he said. òòò½ÊÓƵœIf for some reason we get a dump of results and there is a handful of positives, I donòòò½ÊÓƵ™t want people to think that something major happened. These are normal tests; theyòòò½ÊÓƵ™re just taking longer to come back.

òòò½ÊÓƵœAlthough we need to pay attention to it, it is not something that is based on activity or an opening of something.òòò½ÊÓƵ�

Similarly, Erin Clevenger, chief nursing officer for Memorial Medical Center, has openly discussed delays in testing turnarounds with the public.

Depending on the lab, the average turnaround was two to six days for COVID-19 results to get back to the center as of Wednesday. The facility had tested 176 people, she said.

Those tests are primarily sent to Quest Diagnostic and Clinical Pathology Laboratories, Clevenger said.

òòò½ÊÓƵœI do feel like that is why youòòò½ÊÓƵ™ll see a few days with nothing and one day with two or three, so I do think those numbers are highly affected by turnaround at the lab,òòò½ÊÓƵ� she said. òòò½ÊÓƵœAs more people become sick or get sick and need to be tested, it could grow rather than get shorter until hospitals are able to get in-house testing, which everybody in the region is trying to get.òòò½ÊÓƵ�

Port Lavaca was one of the first locations in the state that the Texas National Guard set up a mobile testing site under orders from Abbott.

As of Wednesday, the county had not received the results of those tests, which were performed eight days ago, said òòò½ÊÓƵ Judge Richard Meyer.

òòò½ÊÓƵœThey said two to five days, but we havenòòò½ÊÓƵ™t heard anything yet,òòò½ÊÓƵ� he said.

There are a lot of factors at play in turnaround, including where a patient falls in the testing priority guidelines issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, what day of the week or time someone is tested, where the lab is located and how many tests the lab is processing on any given day.

Some facilities have managed to see fairly consistent and quick turnarounds for results, including hospitals in Jackson, DeWitt and Refugio counties.

òòò½ÊÓƵœWeòòò½ÊÓƵ™ve been getting them back within 48 hours with CPL in Austin,òòò½ÊÓƵ� said Bill Jones, CEO of the Jackson òòò½ÊÓƵ Hospital District, which had tested 176 people as of Wednesday. òòò½ÊÓƵœIt has been fairly consistent.òòò½ÊÓƵ�

In DeWitt òòò½ÊÓƵ, the testing turnaround for the Cuero Regional Hospital has ranged from 24 to 48 hours and averaged about 36 hours, said Emily Weatherly, the hospitalòòò½ÊÓƵ™s marketing and development director.

òòò½ÊÓƵœFor a few days we did have a little bit longer of a period, but typically weòòò½ÊÓƵ™re having a pretty nice turnaround time,òòò½ÊÓƵ� she said. òòò½ÊÓƵœDepending on how many tests youòòò½ÊÓƵ™re sending out, Iòòò½ÊÓƵ™m certain that could affect the turnaround time, but for Cuero regional weòòò½ÊÓƵ™ve been getting them back pretty quickly.òòò½ÊÓƵ�

The hospital had completed 110 tests as of Tuesday, she said.

òòò½ÊÓƵœWeòòò½ÊÓƵ™re using several different private labs, and I think that might be part of why weòòò½ÊÓƵ™re continuing to see quick turnarounds,òòò½ÊÓƵ� Weatherly said.

The Refugio òòò½ÊÓƵ Memorial Hospital District is experiencing about a two- to three-day turnaround for COVID-19 tests, said Hoss Whitt, the hospitalòòò½ÊÓƵ™s CEO. The majority of its tests are sent to Clinical Pathology Laboratories.

The hospital had tested 47 people as of Wednesday. Of those 47, 46 tests came back negative and one was pending, he said.

òòò½ÊÓƵœWhen we very first started, the first week of testing was really slow; they took 7 to 10 days on some of them,òòò½ÊÓƵ� Whitt said. òòò½ÊÓƵœAfter that first week they started getting down to that 3-day mark, but most of them are in a 48-hour window.òòò½ÊÓƵ�

Lavaca òòò½ÊÓƵ

A Shiner resident has tested positive for COVID-19, bringing Lavaca òòò½ÊÓƵòòò½ÊÓƵ™s total number of cases to six, officials said Wednesday.

The patient is a resident of Shiner and is thought to have contracted the virus by coming in close contact with another confirmed patient, Egon Barthels, Lavacaòòò½ÊÓƵ™s emergency management coordinator, said in a news release.

The state health department is supporting the county in identifying any close contacts of the patient, so that person can be isolated, monitored for symptoms and quickly tested, if needed, he said.

Two of the countyòòò½ÊÓƵ™s patients had recovered as of Tuesday, according to the state health department.

òòò½ÊÓƵœAs we look to the governoròòò½ÊÓƵ™s office on guidance on Phase 1 of reopening Texas, we must also be mindful of continuing the additional safety precautions as we have been doing over the past month, such as washing hands and voluntarily wearing masks, and so on,òòò½ÊÓƵ� Barthels said.

Matagorda òòò½ÊÓƵ

No new cases of COVID-19 were announced in Matagorda òòò½ÊÓƵ on Wednesday, but one additional recovery was reported.

Of the countyòòò½ÊÓƵ™s 63 cases, 27 have recovered as of Tuesday and three had died, leaving 33 patients with active cases.

Wharton òòò½ÊÓƵ

A 37th Wharton òòò½ÊÓƵ resident has tested positive for COVID-19, officials said Wednesday.

The patient is an East Bernard man between 40 and 50 years of ago, according to a news release from the Wharton òòò½ÊÓƵ Office of Emergency Management.

Of the countyòòò½ÊÓƵ™s 37 cases, 20 have recovered and 17 are still active. Those numbers include results from testing that took place at the El Campo Civic Center, officials said.