A new Covid-19 test is launching that could dramatically increase testing
A new test for COVID-19 is launching that could dramatically expand testing capabilities in the U.S. - with an average of one million tests per week available for hospitals and labs in May. Many experts say the U.S. economy can’t reopen fully without widespread coronavirus testing.
Until now, the rate of testing has been limited due to many factors, including the lack of machine capacity where and when it’s needed. However, this latest test developed by Hologic uses proprietary technology on 1,000+ high-throughput molecular machines that are already being used in all 50 states.
This test also does not require additional sample preparation steps or commercial reagents from other vendors, which is expected to help reduce competition for raw materials and increase global testing capacity. In addition, to help alleviate shortages of commonly used sample collection swabs, the company has validated its own swab specimen collection kit for delivering patient samples to labs for the testing process.
Many experts say the testing rollout in the U.S. has been marked by problems including shortages of swabs and necessary materials for collecting and transporting patient samples to laboratories for testing.
Kevin Thornal, Division President, Diagnostic Solutions, Hologic, joined Rebecca to explain how it can help expand testing capabilities in the U.S., and get more people tested in your city.
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