MARION, Iowa — Jim Bonewald was trying to do the right thing. A pastor in eastern Iowa, he began feeling sick last week, what he thought were allergies. Because he was planning to welcome back congregants, many of them elderly, soon into his church, he thought it was best to get tested for COVID-19. So he went through the TestIowa.com online assessment, got tested, and waited for his results. After waiting longer than the promised 72 hours, Bonewald finally got a message from the portal: his test kit was damaged and unusable, and therefore couldn't be processed.
"I was told to reschedule for another test," said Bonewald. "I don't even know if I want to bother doing this again. You know, I was mostly curious just to see what the process was and like I said, I have a concern that since I work with people of an older population, I do worry about that. If it was an easier process, I would probably be tested every week...but it's not an easy process and it's a cumbersome thing to do."
Bonewald said he was reluctant to get tested again because the online assessment tool that is needed to book an appointment through TestIowa is time consuming to navigate. But after speaking to Local 5, he tried to reschedule.
"I had to fill out the assessment again, got to the end and was told there were no time slots available at Linn County. Come back and try again," said Bonewald. "What I don't understand is why I was not just automatically issued a new QR code, which is what you have to have with you when you show up, when my first test was rejected? Also I could not indicate on the assessment form that I was trying to reschedule a damaged test. That was not listed as on option."
Bonewald isn't the only Iowan who has voiced frustrations after an experience with TestIowa. Local 5 has heard from several viewers, complaining of significant delays in test results, damaged test kits, and the inability to schedule an appointment where they live.
So far, more than 779,476 Iowans have taken the online TestIowa assessment. More than 3 million people live in the state. A majority of people who took the online assessment are female.
Gov. Kim Reynolds has stood by the $26 million TestIowa program, boasting it as "one tool in the toolbox" for Iowans to get tested for coronavirus. TestIowa is free for Iowans to access, but it's not accessible to everyone. Sites are set up in a drive-through style, and are not in every county across the state. There are TestIowa clinics in certain counties, but some have limited hours that they are open. Iowans who want to get tested must have access to the online site, meaning they need to either have a smartphone, computer, or know someone who does.
A federal lawsuit has been filed against the company that makes the tests used at TestIowa sites. The federal complaint alleged Co-Diagnostics inflated its stock prices because tests aren't as accurate as the company claims.