Testing has been available at LAX for the past few months, but the on-site lab was officially unveiled on Thursday.
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"Many, many countries are restricting travel to their places depending on the results of the COVID tests, so it's an obvious need," said Jim Robertson, a clinical scientist who is the lab's acting manager. "It's very hard to social distance. The combination of those two factors is a big push."
L.A. resident Joe Dania said he and his family flew to Hawaii only to find that his COVID test results were not accepted because they were not from one of several specific labs in Los Angeles -- including the one at LAX.
United passenger on flight to LAX died of COVID-19, respiratory failure, coroner says
United passenger on flight to LAX died of COVID-19, respiratory failure, coroner says
"Certified tests -- it has to be," Dania said. "Any other lab in L.A., they're not certified, they're not qualified, only certain people there qualify -- that's a huge corruption."
So he flew back to L.A. to get that certified test and plans to return to Hawaii on Thursday evening. He said he was grateful for the convenient, accessible service at the LAX lab.
"Those people there are super, super helpful. I explained my situation, they tried to accommodate me, they scheduled me," Dania said, adding that he received his results within hours.
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Passengers can still receive a test in Terminal 2 and the Tom Bradley International Terminal without an appointment. The lab in Terminal 6 is the only site at the airport offering rapid testing, by appointment.