Slow COVID-19 test results complicate life for public health workers and patients

In mid-June, as Montana's COVID-19 case count began its summer climb, the Missoula City-County Health Department announced it would begin testing asymptomatic frontline workers. The declaration seemed to signal progress on the path to expanded testing capability, fitting neatly into the hopeful picture painted by Gov. Steve Bullock when he set a goal in April of conducting 60,000 COVID tests statewide per month.

Within a week, however, Missoula health officials were inundated with people displaying symptoms of the disease. Cindy Farr, Missoula's COVID-19 incident commander, estimates the count...