Testing, and more testing – that’s what it’s coming down to. As the number of cases continues to climb in the U.S. and is about to reach the 4 million mark, clearly re-opening policies aren’t working and too many people are simply ignoring health protocols. The only answer is to continue to ramp up testing in an effort to keep workplaces and public spaces safer.
But, that’s been a challenge all along. There’s been both a shortage of test kits and long delays in getting results from labs. Several companies have gotten into the test kit game and are providing them to healthcare organizations, pharmacies, governments, and other organizations. But the delay in getting results simply isn’t conducive to controlling the virus. It’s certainly not going to cut it for organizations that have mandated testing into their return-to-work protocols and need to get workers tested quickly – which is something more and more companies are likely to do, especially with the recent spikes.
New Jersey-based LabVantage developed its COVID-19 LIMS (Laboratory Information Management System) solution to help more labs open quickly to drive testing capacity. It’s a coronavirus-specific spinoff of its general LIMS solution, which is designed to make it easier for labs to begin conduct research and testing automating tasks, reducing manual documentation, and integrating with existing instruments and systems. The COVID-19 LIMS solution for simplifying testing management can be quickly implemented as a SaaS implementation, through the cloud, or on-premises – whichever is best for an organization.
“LabVantage COVID-19 LIMS is a full-featured, pre-configured solution for companies, colleges, and universities looking for a way to keep their employees and students safe in the workplace or on campus with the confidence that comes with accurate and comprehensive testing.”
John Heiser, CEO, LabVantage
It goes without saying that organizations with on-site testing facilities save time and can get results faster, while also making it more convenient for employees to get tested. It’s a great option not only for companies that are equipped to conduct testing in-house, but it also reduces workload and bottlenecks for others that do not have their own facilities and work with third-party labs.
A Fortune 100 consumer packaged goods company (there aren’t many) deployed the LabVantage solution in its in-house COVID-19 testing center. The CPG company uses its own medical and laboratory personnel to securely test employees for COVID-19 and track test data. Any employee who exhibits symptoms or who request a test to ensure their safety are quickly scheduled. The LabVantage COVID-19 LIMS prepares the sample request, labels the sample specimens, tracks all patient and sample data, and reports results.
There’s no single solution that is going to “fix” the COVID-19 problem. Rather, it’s going to take a combination of enhanced safety protocols, accurate reporting and monitoring, efficient testing, and of course, people simply behaving responsibly. Getting test results faster, though, is certainly a step in the right direction.
