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To Meet the Demand for COVID-19 Testing, Many Labs are Repurposing.

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To Meet the Demand for COVID-19 Testing, Many Labs are Repurposing.

It’s National Laboratory Week, an annual celebration of medical laboratory professionals and pathologists who play a vital role in health care…especially now during the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to the Harvard Global Health Institute, the U.S. needs nearly four times the amount of COVID-19 tests made available to individuals and organizations in order to reopen the economy. Further, it is estimated that as many as one in three COVID-19 tests are inaccurate.

To meet the demand for COVID-19 testing, many labs are repurposing.

Here’s a lab in Richmond, Virginia that significantly revamped operations and is working round the clock to meet the nation’s need for coronavirus testing…

Genetworx Laboratories began performing COVID-19 testing on March 23. The Genetworx test is guaranteed to be 99 percent accurate with results provided within one to two business days

According to Genetworx CEO William Miller, “There are not enough American laboratories that have the capability to perform really accurate COVID-19 testing. Since our company has the expertise and the complex instruments, we wanted to do our part and help America beat this infectious disease crisis. So, we quickly repurposed a portion of our lab. We are still building up our capacity in order to meet the increasing need caused by the pandemic. This is consistent with being a mission-based company dedicated to saving lives, as we are part of the Recovery Centers of America health network.”

Genetworx is currently able to process thousands of tests per day and is significantly increasing capacity in the coming days and weeks. With its special instrumentation and clinical expertise, the Genetworx COVID-19 test can deliver results with a 99th percentile accuracy reducing the chance of false negatives for patients.

“Genetworx is uniquely qualified to perform this type of testing and deliver incredibly accurate, timely results because we regularly perform complex molecular diagnostic testing, outside of the pandemic. Not all companies have the technology and infrastructure to deliver an accurate result in a timely manner. We have special instrumentation and expertise to run a large volume of COVID-19 tests and produce results in one business day with over 99 percent specificity and sensitivity. This capability is not found in most tests or in most laboratories. Some tests without this level of sensitivity will not detect the presence of the virus.”

The company is currently performing COVID-19 testing for a number of government agencies including state emergency systems, departments of health, physicians’ groups, and other American businesses.

Genetworx Laboratory is listed on the FDA’s website of COVID-19 test providers. The company is CLIA-certified and a CAP-accredited laboratory. These distinctions are the gold standard in the industry.

“Our staff is working 24/7 to ramp up to meet the need that this pandemic requires. We will do everything we can to be a part of the solution to this crisis,” said Miller.

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To learn more or arrange an interview please contact Terri Malenfant at tmalenfant@recoverycoa.com.