LSU Health Shreveport opens a COVID-19 test processing lab that at peak capacity will be able to process 1,000 tests a day with a turnaround of only 24-48 hours.
Pathology Professor Dr. Chris Kevil says the lab is vital because one of the key ways to combat coronavirus is to test, test, test.
“That will allow us to identify individuals who are positive, segregate out the hospitals so that we can keep those that are COVID-19 positive away from those who aren’t, and then break the chain,” says Kevil.
The lab will not gather samples on-site, it has samples shipped to them from other locations.
Chief Innovation Officer Drew Mouton says two weeks ago they drew up plans for a facility that uses viral RNA extraction to generate tests that are among the most accurate in the world.
“This is typically a 6-12-month process, but I am excited to report that less than two weeks later we began processing human test samples yesterday,” says Mouton.
The center estimates it will be about another two weeks before they’re at peak capacity, but they should be testing hundreds of samples by the end of the week.
Mouton says the team has been pulling 18 to 20-hour days to get the facility online, and while it’s a good start, it’s just one weapon in the fight against coronavirus.
“I think it’s very, very important that we don’t couch this as celebratory in any way but this is our ability to essentially punch the virus in the mouth,” says Mouton.
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