OPKO Health’s BioReference Laboratories Partners with Hospitals Nationwide to Provide Prioritized Testing to Inpatients with Suspected Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)

ELMWOOD PARK, N.J., April 6, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — BioReference Laboratories, Inc., an OPKO Health company (NASDAQ: OPK), today announced that it will continue to prioritize COVID-19 testing for hospital inpatients and critically ill patients around the country. “Our goal is to maintain the current 24 hour turnaround time for these patients,” said Jon R. Cohen, M.D., Executive Chairman of […]

COVID-19: A Global Pandemic

The 2019 novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is a virus of global health significance caused by infection of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 a global pandemic. How is it Transmitted? According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), COVID-19 is […]

What it’s like to get tested in the COVID-19 pandemic

Crain’s Detroit Business Getting tested for coronavirus, as one might imagine, is quite an experience, both psychologically and physiologically. Monday afternoon I took my wife, Olya, a health care worker, for a first-responder test at a site in Detroit operated by Wayne State University Physician Group at 400 E. Mack Ave. Not to complain too […]

Private Labs Are Fueling a New Coronavirus Testing Crisis

Backlogs at private laboratories have ballooned, making it difficult to treat suffering patients and contain the pandemic. The Atlantic On the surface, the American COVID-19 testing regime has finally hit its stride. Over the past five days, the states have reported a daily average of 104,000 people tested, according to data assembled by the COVID […]

U.S. Finally Ramps Up Virus Testing, But Demand Still Outpaces Supply

Bloomberg Law Nearly a week after submitting tests for Covid-19, a medical practice in North Carolina was still waiting for the results. New York City health-care facilities were told to only test people who are already hospitalized. A clinic in Oakland, California, has been conserving scarce supplies and turned away symptomatic patients who just a week earlier would […]

I work at a coronavirus drive-thru testing site in New York. Here’s what a 12-hour shift looks like

CNBC As a phlebotomist at Northwell Health, a New York-based non-profit healthcare provider, my job is to draw blood from people, ensuring that the right amount is taken and that everything is properly labeled. Like everyone else in this field, I’m comfortable around blood, needles and test tubes. But recently, I had to be OK with something […]

Some coronavirus test results in the US can take up to a week

CNN Demand for coronavirus tests at some US commercial labs continues to exceed capacity, even as millions of tests have become available. Test turnaround times range from 24 hours to a week or more, according to labs contacted by CNN. Quest Diagnostics: One of the largest US clinical laboratories said current turnaround time for coronavirus tests is on average four to five days, from the time of specimen pickup to the time results are delivered, though some results may not be provided for about a week.  “Although we are rapidly expanding testing capacity, […]

More testing is available for COVID-19, but getting results can take days or more

Miami Herald Note: The Miami Herald and McClatchy News Sites are offering most coverage of the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic to all, with no payment required. We want to ensure our readers can make critical decisions for themselves and their families. To continue supporting vital reporting like this, please consider a digital subscription. For more coverage, subscribe to our […]

Opko Health subsidiary partners with City of Miami on coronavirus testing

South Florida Business Journal BioReference Laboratories has added Miami to the list of regions where it is providing coronavirus testing and analysis. The company, a subsidiary of Miami-based Opko Health (Nasdaq: OPK), will partner with the city on an appointment-only drive-thru testing site, in addition to accepting specimens from existing testing sites in the area to […]

Detroit expands drive-thru COVID-19 testing — by appointment only

Crain’s Detroit Business The city of Detroit has signed a contract with a New Jersey-based laboratory company to conduct drive-thru COVID-19 testing by appointment only for city residents. BioReference Laboratories Inc. said Monday that it also will provide testing for first responders in the city at yet-unspecified locations. “The impact that expanded testing will have […]