Three weeks after the launch of Test Iowa — the $26 million contract between the state and a group of Utah tech firms — the State Hygienic Lab has completed the validation process of the program’s equipment.

Gov. Kim Reynolds said in a Thursday press conference that the validation will increase Iowa’s coronavirus testing capacity. The equipment has a 95 percent accuracy for positive results and a 99.7 percent accuracy for negative results.

She said the Test Iowa equipment can process 3,000 tests a day, while the State Hygienic Lab can process an additional 2,000, which reflects comments she made last week that Iowa has the capacity to run 5,000 tests a day.

Stephen Pradarelli, strategic communications director for the office of the vice president for research, confirmed these numbers in an email to The Daily Iowan but didn’t indicate when the numbers would be reflected in the state’s daily testing totals.

To date, the most tests the state has reported on a single day has been 4,475 on May 12.

In the 23 days since the launch of Test Iowa, Reynolds said 4,300 individuals have been tested through the program and 4,000 have been notified of their results. This would be an average of about 187 tests a day.

Several Iowans have run into problems with their Test Iowa tests, either waiting weeks for results or having the test come back inconclusive. Reynolds addressed these concerns Thursday, saying that a Test Iowa call center will be set up in the next few days to resolve problems with the program.

“Now that the lab has completed the validation process, we expect more tests will be processed more quickly and your results will be delivered on a timely basis,” she said.

Reynolds also said that as testing capacity increases, the criteria for being tested through Test Iowa will be expanded. So far, Test Iowa tests have been focusing on health care workers, first responders, and other high-risk populations, but Reynolds said anyone who wants to be tested could get tested at some point in the future.

“There will become a time I believe that we’ll be able to continue to open it up and if iowans want to get a test they’ll be able to do that,” she said.

The State Hygienic Lab will keep its testing criteria narrow to be prepared for a potential spike in infections, Reynolds said.

Editor’s note: A previous version of this article said the State Hygienic Lab did not respond to request for comment. The article has been updated with their response.