Editor’s Note: Find the latest news and guidance from COVID-19 at the Medscape Coronavirus Resource Center.
According to CNBC, the coronavirus is spreading faster in the US than laboratories can expand their ability to test more people.
That, in turn, leads to a slower response time for results. LabCorp is processing approximately 165,000 COVID-19 tests per day and averaging 3-5 days to return the results to someone who is not in the hospital. In late March, the labs performed approximately 20,000 tests per day.
“We continue to increase capacity every week after week,” said Adam Schechter, CEO of LabCorp, on CNBC. Closing bell.
“The problem is that the number of tests that are requested to be done each week is growing faster than the capacity we can develop,” he said.
A 2-3 day response time is required to effectively trace and trace contacts and inform individuals that they may have been exposed to the coronavirus. An average of 3-5 days makes contact tracking less effective.
“We need all states to make sure that we are doing everything we can to better control the virus,” he said. “If we can do that, we can have the evidence we need.”
As people look to fall, Schechter said the United States should be “really thoughtful” about the COVID-19 evidence demand. As students return to school and more people return to work, the demand for tests could overwhelm the labs and further delay the results.
“I am concerned about that, but we have to see it comprehensively,” he said.
He added that the tests are part of a larger picture, which includes therapies, vaccine research and continued precautions such as social distancing and face masks.
“If we put those things together, I think we can beat this virus and make the country work again in a very significant way,” he said.
SOURCE:
CNBC, “The CEO of LabCorp says that the coronavirus in the United States is spreading faster than test capacity can add.”
.
