With criticism abounding over both the availability of Wuhan virus test kits and how rapidly those tests can be processed, two hospital systems in Cleveland, Ohio—the Cleveland Clinic and University Hospitals—have some good news. They will soon be able to run tests in-house and receive results much faster than the standard two to seven days.
The FDA has loosened the parameters on who can test for COVID-19, opening the process up to academic medical centers and private labs, said Angie Kiska, Senior Director of Public and Media Relations for Cleveland Clinic.
The clinic has ordered the equipment to be able to test, but before they can offer the test, they must first validate it, Kiska said. They will not be testing in-house until that happens, which will be in about a month.
Once the clinic does have the capability to run the test in-house instead of having to send it to an outside lab, results will be available within eight hours, Kiska said. (News 5 Cleveland)
According to reports, the Clinic will be able to receive test results in eight hours, while UH will be able to turn them around between 12-24 hours. The Clinic is also in the midst of planning other ways to rapidly test patients, including a drive-thru.
Once more: Let hospitals, labs, and doctors lead this fight — not CDC bureaucrats in Washington. https://t.co/rvi8PReQnX
— Tom Elliott (@tomselliott) March 12, 2020
Geez, aren't we all thankful that the CDC finally gave regulatory approval for the @ClevelandClinic to develop the #Covid_19 test? @realDonaldTrump was right about the regulatory rules slowing down the development of testing. https://t.co/lJraiPTEkt
— John R Lott Jr. (@JohnRLottJr) March 12, 2020
Cleveland Clinic develops COVID-19 test that will deliver results in 8 hours, not 2 or more days https://t.co/4sMa0bZf9V
— Twitchy Team (@TwitchyTeam) March 12, 2020
These developments come less than two weeks after the Federal Drug Administration gave labs the green light to develop and use new tests for the virus.
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine declared a state of emergency in The Buckeye State on Monday. Four people in the state have tested positive for the Wuhan virus, and another 24 are being monitored.