Columbia lab needs more swabs to increase COVID-19 testing
COLUMBIA Mo. (KMIZ)
GeneTrait Laboratories in Columbia has the capacity to test up to 20,000 samples for COVID-19 per week but officials from the lab say they're lacking in essential materials.
"We have some limitations right now," said Michelle Beckwith, the vice president of GeneTrait Laboratories. "I don't believe most of it's an actual testing capacity, most of it right now is in collection kits and their availability."
COVID-19 test kits are used by healthcare providers to test patients for the virus. The kits contain a swab, a tube and viral transport medium, which is a liquid used to contain and transport specimens safely.
Beckwith says right now, there is a shortage in test swabs but their team is working to get their hands on as many as possible.
"We've been very careful to try to find FDA approved devices - they're just difficult to find right now," Beckwith said. "We've been trying to find a way to supply between seven and 10,000 swabs a week, that's certainly a goal and I feel like it's a lofty goal as well but that would allow the hospitals to at least have some flexibility to screen people that they feel like needed to be screened."
GeneTrait Laboratories works closely with MU Health Care.
Dr. Detlef Ritter, the medical director of the clinical laboratories at MU Health Care, says the lab has been a huge help since it started testing in March but screening and testing must increase.
"What I believe has to occur is an increased capacity of clinical testing and testing of asymptomatic people since we do know that maybe 50% of us are asymptomatic and still in thought, we may be infectious," Dr. Ritter said.
GeneTrait Labs is currently testing from 400 to 800 samples for COVID-19 on average daily and every test result is reported to the state.
"There is currently no cure for this disease," Dr. Ritter said. "We do know that the Bill Gates Foundation has put billions of dollars into finding a cure and there are groups all over the world that are working on this - we are being told that a cure, possibly may be available in 12 to 18 months from now, that means, not before 2021."
Beckwith said testing at GeneTrait Labs started March 17 with roughly 5% of tests coming back positive but now with testing capacity increasing, the lab is hitting closer to 7% positive.
Gov. Mike Parson said in his state address on Thursday that increasing testing is part of the plan.
"Our 'Show Me Strong' recovery plan rests on four essential pillars," Parson said. "Number one, rapidly expanding testing capacity, including testing for those who are currently contagious and those who have been developed immunity."
Parson said in a tweet the state is aiming to hit 40,000 to 50,000 tests per week which will provide data and confidence for him to fully reopen Missouri.
GeneTrait Laboratories is a subsidiary of PTC Laboratories. Kim Gorman, the President of PTC Laboratories says she thinks the state can hit that number.
"That is a very feasible number - we could perhaps test 15,000 to 20,000 per week here, but we're not the only laboratory that is processing tests for Missouri, so, I think that's a very feasible goal if we can obtain swabs," Gorman said." "That's the major barrier right now is being able to get swabs to actually test, there are just none available."
Gorman said most of the testing materials come from China and the faulty KN-95 masks that came to the state put a strain on the process of getting any COVID-19 related goods.
"What we have been looking at initially is a 90-day window, when hopefully, you know the pandemic will be somewhat under control, or at least the curve will be flattened and we'll know what to expect next," Gorman said.
