HOUSTON – A COVID-19 testing center near Houston’s NRG Stadium has been shuttered after an out-of-town lab reported problems inputting patients information.
The drive-up saliva testing site on Fannin near the South Loop was a private joint-venture between Dallas-based Bloom Health and Red Arrow Analytical Laboratories, which is principally run out of Oklahoma City, according to managing partner, Duke Naiphon.
“The glitch was not the test, the glitch was the communication, because the tests were flowing pretty good,” Naiphon said.
He said that refunds were the responsibility of partner, Bloom Health because that company ran the site and hired Red Arrow.
“They haven’t paid us yet either,” Naiphon said.
Naiphon said that he hoped the testing site at 1615 South Loop West would reopen once the patient transcription problems were ironed out, but could not provide a date.
“We have a meeting scheduled,” he said.
Naiphon said he could not say how many people were still awaiting results, but said that most of the problems of getting results back to clients had been solved.
One customer, Hunter Cox, said he made several phone calls and waited more than a week to receive results he now does not trust. He also has not received a refund he said he was promised.
“I would go to one of the County sites,” Cox said.