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With the commissioning of a new laboratory in Vienna-Penzing, the national capacity for accurate evaluations of coronavirus tests has increased significantly: the new location handles 30,000 PCR tests per day, Michael Havel, co-founder of operator Lifebrain Group, promised in a press conference on Tuesday. . Soon there could be double. In any case, the Vienna City Council has already reserved a quota of up to 10,000 tests per day.
The PCR laboratory is located in Hall 17 of the Otto Wagner Hospital and has 140 workplaces. The city, as the owner, rents the 3,600 square meters of space. Five million euros was invested in the renovation, which took just six weeks, said managing director Havel.
The head of the company promised that the results of the smear evaluation will be available within 24 hours. Until the end of the year, the work will be carried out every day from 7 am to 10 pm, and is scheduled for 24 hours from the beginning of 2021. And 30,000 tests should not be the end of the flagpole. In the coming months, capacity will increase to 60,000 results per day, Havel announced.
Vienna Health Councilor Peter Hacker (SPÖ) was delighted with “this super valuable resource”. Because he was a supporter of the frequent testing strategy from the beginning. This is the only way to keep the pandemic under control. The city itself once booked a quota of up to 10,000 PCR tests per day at the new Lifebrain lab, Hacker said.
This very accurate corona detection method will be very important for a long time despite the upcoming vaccination, the department agreed with the head of the company. Because even those who have been vaccinated can sometimes carry the virus.
The Lifebrain Group was founded in 2013 and, in addition to the new facilities at the Otto Wagner Hospital, it has around 300 locations in Italy. Furthermore, since the beginning of the week, individuals have been able to self-monitor for an infection using a rapid antigen test or a PCR test at three test sites in Vienna (two in Favoriten, one in Rudolfsheim-Fünfhaus) for a fee.
In the future, the company also plans to massively expand the field of antibody testing. This sector is important in relation to corona vaccination insofar as it can be used regularly to determine if people who have been vaccinated are still immune or if people who have already had a Covid disease still have antibodies and therefore they do not have to be vaccinated at the moment Havel explained.
Those: APA
