Why did my Chicago area specimen end up in Central Illinois, Wisconsin, Kentucky, or Maine?

Why did my Chicago area specimen end up in Central Illinois, Wisconsin, Kentucky, or Maine?

We look at data in aggregate across the state and in real-time and aim to hit the 24 hour mark for all of our patients across the state. The decisions our operations team makes are based on what is projected to get the results to patients as fast as possible. The Chicago area labs have the highest demand. We balance the load across labs to assure that results are delivered as quickly as possible. If your specimen is transported to a lab outside of your general area, it is because our model predicted a faster result--with the transportation time included--than what was expected at the local laboratory.


    • Related Articles

    • Can I contact the lab for more information?

      The laboratories which perform the covidSHIELD test for SHIELD Illinois cannot provide any patient, agency, or any other party any information about covidSHIELD, the laboratory process, SHIELD Illinois, et cetera. The labs also cannot provide any ...
    • Why was my specimen rejected?

      Specimens can be rejected by the lab for a number of reasons. The reason a specific specimen was rejected can be viewed on the Agency Lab Results screen in Point and Click Mass Tester.  "Rejected" is not a result as much as a status. Specimens that ...
    • Why did some of the specimens in my manifest result at a different time?

      Often you will see some specimens in a manifest result at a different time than the rest of the manifest. There are three primary reasons for this: They were run on different plates A small amount of saliva from each specimen is deposited into a ...
    • How long does it take to get my results?

      Results should be available within 24-48 hours of when they were received by the lab and can vary from day to day. If you have not received your results in 36 hours from the time they were sent, please contact the patient support line (for individual ...
    • Where are SHIELD laboratories located?

      SHIELD Illinois has seven CLIA-certified laboratories throughout the state, including in Decatur, Itasca, Maywood, Normal, North Chicago, Rockford, and Springfield.