Coronavirus test results may be delayed due to high demand, Darien man left waiting over a week

DARIEN, Ill. (WLS) -- High demand for COVID-19 testing means no matter where you go, there's a chance you could be waiting on results. One man trying to get back to work said he was supposed to get his results in two to four days; instead he's been waiting more than a week.

After getting hit with symptoms, Darien resident Joe Spivak went to get a COVID-19 test on Monday June 29 at a CVS Health drive-through testing site in Downers Grove.

As of Wednesday, nine days later, he's still waiting on test results.

"Once you feel achy, I don't want to be spreading," Spivak said. "First of all, I want to know that I have to obviously take care of myself. Most importantly, I'm still here with my wife."

Coronavirus testing: Where to get tested for COVID-19 in Illinois, Chicago area

But it's crucial for Spivak to find out if he's infected soon because he's trying to meet with clients to keep his insurance business running.

The handout he received after the test said results would be available in his health chart within two to four days. He said CVS workers told him it could be as soon as 24 hours. He reached out to the ABC7 I-Team after waiting for more than a week.

"I'm a small businessman, OK, I own my own business," Spivak said. "We are the business, we're the backbone. OK, so I have to go out, I have to see customers, I have to see my clients, and I dare not go out without now getting a clearance because I certainly can't make anybody else sick."

A CVS Health spokesperson said they are "looking into this individual patient's case and escalating internally with our lab partners as needed to see if we can provide an update for this gentleman as soon as possible."

They added, "CVS Health is committed to expanding COVID-19 testing capabilities across the country, and providing patients with results in a timely fashion."

CVS Health said in some cases, patients may experience a delay "due to high demand and temporary processing capacity limitations at our third-party partner labs."

"By the grace of God, I felt a lot better than I did with the symptoms, you know, nine days ago," Spivak said. "I started feeling a lot better but I still want to get a clearance."

CVS Health has dozens of drive through locations across the state open for testing.

You can also get testing done at a state facility- Illinois is offering tests to anyone who wants one at 11 different locations.

Illinois opens 11 state-run COVID-19 testing sites to all