In the race to outpace the spread of Coronavirus Covid-19 across the country, private labs, not government organizations, are developing tests for the virus. One such company is Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings, better known as LabCorp. LabCorp began testing as of March 5th.
According to CNBC reporter Bertha Coombs, the Center of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has to provide approval for labs to develop and run the tests. Coombs writes the following in her March 6 piece, Private labs start testing for coronavirus, prompting concerns about cost and insurance co-pays:
Public health officials have been clamoring for greater testing capacity to help them combat the spread of the new coronavirus in their communities. Now, as testing is poised to become more widely available from commercial labs, the cost of those diagnostic tests could become a factor in the effort to control the virus.
The next lab on the horizon to begin testing is Quest Diagnostics, with a corresponding stock price spike in response to this news.
It is important to note that a physician must provide the order for the test and then the patient should proceed to the healthcare provider as directed – LabCorp is processing the tests but not collecting the samples.
According to the U.S. National Library of Medicine, there are a number of ways for healthcare providers to obtain samples for Coronavirus Covid-19 testing:
- Swab test. A health care provider will use a special swab to take a sample from your nose or throat.
- Nasal aspirate. A health care provider will inject a saline solution into your nose, then remove the sample with gentle suction.
- Tracheal aspirate. A health care provider will put a thin, lighted tube called a bronchoscope down your mouth and into your lungs, where a sample will be collected.
- Sputum test. Sputum is a thick mucus that is coughed up from the lungs. You may be asked to cough up sputum into a special cup, or a special swab may be used to take a sample from your nose.
- Blood. A health care professional will take a blood sample from a vein in your arm.
On a more positive note, a vaccine for Coronavirus COVID-19 is in the works as per a press release in the RealDealDocs database: Tonix Pharmaceuticals Announces Research Collaboration with Southern Research to Develop A Potential Vaccine to Protect Against New Coronavirus Disease 2019 ( Covid-19 ) Based On Horsepox Virus (Tnx-1800).
Additionally, President Drumpf and Vice President Mike Pence have met with the following 7 “BigPharma” companies to prioritize addressing the Coronavirus outbreak either through antiviral drugs or developing vaccines:
Gilead Sciences, GlaxoSmithKline, Johnson & Johnson, Moderna, Pfizer, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, and Sanofi.
Here are several documents in our RealDealDocs database for companies actively providing testing for Coronavirus Covid-19:
LabCorp
Amended And Restated By-Laws (amended February 5, 2020)
Quest Diagnostics
Incentive Plan For Non-Employee Directors (amended February 18, 2020)
Tonix Pharmaceuticals
Tonix Pharmaceuticals Form 8-K
Image used courtesy of NPR.org.