CHICO, Calif. - Enloe Medical Center announced they will be able to test people for coronavirus and have results within 24-hours.

In a collaboration between the center and Pathology Sciences Medical Group, Enloe explained the new process will speed up test results for hospital inpatients and symptomatic caregivers, and will allow for more testing of these groups.

“We share our community’s concern regarding testing availability and are encouraged that this new development will expedite our ability to identify those who may potentially need a higher level of care,” said Mike Wiltermood, Enloe’s president and CEO. “This new initiative is a much-needed step in the right direction for our hospital patients and frontline caregivers.”

Before this new agreement, results on tests performed at Enloe ranged from two days to two weeks and were being sent to labs across both California and Arizona, according to Enloe. Now, results will be within 24-hours, and in some cases the same day.

While this does mean more testing and faster results, Enloe said they will continue to follow the federal guidelines put in place. As they operate at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's priority 1 level, this allows for testing of hospitalized patients and symptomatic frontline health care workers.