UPMC has developed a test for the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 the virus that causes COVID-19 and will use this test to diagnose select, symptomatic cases.
The health system plans to rapidly increase capacity at its central laboratory and, if there is a need, could test hundreds of patients per week in the near future, filling a critical gap before other commercial tests come online.
Developing this test for a never-before-seen virus in the midst of a pandemic was a tremendous challenge, even for our academic medical center with its long history of such developments, said Alan Wells, M.D., D.M.Sc., medical director of the UPMC Clinical Laboratories and Thomas Gill III Professor of Pathology at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. But testing capabilities are absolutely essential to managing a pandemic. If the communities we serve see a surge in severe illnesses, we must be able to diagnose people quickly to give them the appropriate care while protecting our staff and the broader community.
Additionally, UPMC on Tuesday will begin directing patients with symptoms consistent with COVID-19 to a specimen collection site in Pittsburghs South Side neighborhood. The site is not open to the general public. Patients must have a physician referral approved by UPMCs infection prevention team and an appointment to have their specimen collected for testing by either UPMC or public health authorities.
UPMC will later open additional specimen collection facilities in Harrisburg, Erie, Williamsport and Altoona at an as-yet undetermined date after gaining experience with the South Side facility and after UPMCs testing capacity increases.
Testing capabilities for COVID-19 in the U.S. have been delayed and limited, creating anxiety for the people we serve and impairing our ability to optimally guide the public health response, said Donald Yealy, M.D., chair of emergency medicine for UPMC and Pitt. By creating our own test and collection centers, we can both help our patients and the overall community. We seek getting a diagnosis in hours, not days.
The U.S. lagged behind other countries in testing capacity, which was centered around public health authorities. The tests created by commercial laboratories are either not serving the Pittsburgh region or can take longer for results, according to Wells.
Trained UPMC providers will collect specimens, doing so safely while wearing personal protective equipment, including gowns, gloves and N95 masks or respirators. Collection will occur in negative pressure rooms, which assure that air does not leave the room until it flows through a high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter that removes pathogens. The process involves a nasopharyngeal swab, a thin device inserted through a patients nose into the nasal cavity.
The specimens will be safely transported for testing to the UPMC Clinical Laboratories, the largest academic clinical lab in the U.S. In most cases, results will be returned within 24 hours. UPMC may continue to send specimens to the Pennsylvania Department of Healths laboratory in eastern Pennsylvania or health department laboratories in New York and Maryland as needed and for confirmation. UPMC will work with commercial laboratories to send specimens to them as soon as they have capacity, which will maximize the health systems ability to test all who need it.
UPMCs laboratory developed test was created using reagents already approved for making a SARS-CoV-2 test and following U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines. It is validated under the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments program of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services for use in human diagnoses.
The test was created by a virology team led by Tung Phan, M.D., Ph.D., assistant professor of pathology at Pitt and assistant director of clinical microbiology at UPMC; Charles Rinaldo, Jr., Ph.D., chair and professor of the Pitt Graduate School of Public Healths Department of Infectious Diseases and Microbiology and director of the UPMC Clinical Virology Laboratory; and Stephanie Mitchell, Ph.D., assistant professor of pathology at Pitt and director of clinical microbiology at UPMC Childrens Hospital of Pittsburgh. Implementation work was done by Arlene Bullotta, Barbara Harris and Kathy Greenawalt of the Section of Virology at UPMC Clinical Laboratories. This was a tireless effort by a team dedicated to serving the needs of our patients, said Wells.
The test was validated with genetic samples of SARS-CoV-2 shared by Paul Duprex, Ph.D., director of Pitts Center for Vaccine Research, which is pursuing development of a COVID-19 vaccine.
Anyone whose sample is taken should self-isolate until results come back. If it is positive, UPMC will refer the patient to public health authorities and ensure ongoing care. All positive UPMC test results will be presumed positive until confirmed by the CDC or state public health laboratories.
People who suspect they have COVID-19 but do not have a high fever or breathing problems should call their primary care physician or use UPMC AnywhereCare, an online tool to get advice. Anyone with a high fever or breathing trouble should go to their local emergency department for evaluation and care.
By CHRISTOPHER RUGABERAP Economics WriterWASHINGTON The Federal Reserve took emergency action Sunday to ...
http://www.LockHavenPa.govThe City of Lock Haven is following public health advice to take precautionary measure to ...
From Staff ReportsSenate President Pro Tempore Joe Scarnati (R-25) and Senate Majority Leader Jake Corman (R-34) ...
MILL HALL All children up to the age of 18 will be provided free breakfast and lunch meals while schools are ...
From Staff ReportsLOCK HAVEN The Clinton County commissioners issued a press release over the weekend ...
View post:
- IOM not webcast today. Why Not? - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- National Academies skeptical at Best. - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Some Confusion Exists - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Why DTC Genomics IS Medicine. - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- First Mari, Now Linda. Who's next? - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Is it true? - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Re-Reviewing the National Academies - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- The problem with nonclinicians....... - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Crazy Night of Emails to Government - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Adrienne Carlson's Personalized Medicine. - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Tell Me, How do you feel now? Sherpa's RX - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- This Just In. 23andMe to go to GPs. I love my readers!! - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Sorry so long away - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- 2D6 Rears its ugly head..... - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Ok, Fine, Back to Plavix - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Kaiser a protoype for Collins' Aim - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- A few months late to the party.... - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Stated Another Way....... - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Excuse Me? Harvard and Navigenics? WTF? - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Follow up to Yesterday's WTF? Harvard, Navi? and Pfizer??? - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Did you get your kit? Thanks Dr. Rob from MedCo - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Gluco...Wha? Parkinson's Disease and Glucocerebrosidase mutations. - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Away and now back, What did I miss???? 23andme layoffs? Selling Genomes for cheap up next! - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Change IS Needed. I agree with William, sometimes. - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Good Enough Science? Apparently so at 23andme - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Long QT Syndrome, location matters - December 13th, 2009 [December 13th, 2009]
- Congratulations Generation Health. Nice pick up! - December 13th, 2009 [December 13th, 2009]
- An argument 23andSerge can't win...23andme but not medicine - December 13th, 2009 [December 13th, 2009]
- Stop. Breathe. Repeat. An analysis of the direction of DTC Genomics Field. - December 13th, 2009 [December 13th, 2009]
- Hey DTC genomics, Stay Private, Stay Alive, Go Public and Die - December 13th, 2009 [December 13th, 2009]
- You can't have it both way. Either scared your genome is sold off or not. - December 13th, 2009 [December 13th, 2009]
- 15 Days Away Gives Time for Perspective. - December 13th, 2009 [December 13th, 2009]
- What about the SACGHS registry? Another missed opportunity? - December 13th, 2009 [December 13th, 2009]
- AJHG is in and my Favorite Muin is in it! But He Is NOT the Father! - December 13th, 2009 [December 13th, 2009]
- Navigenics for 23andMe prices? - December 18th, 2009 [December 18th, 2009]
- Lp(a) Maybe there's something there that wasn't there before? - December 24th, 2009 [December 24th, 2009]
- Another Year, Another Bankruptcy - December 31st, 2009 [December 31st, 2009]
- 5 Technologies going bye bye in this decade? - January 6th, 2010 [January 6th, 2010]
- Hackers, HITECH and HIPAA in DTC Genomics, Oh My! - January 7th, 2010 [January 7th, 2010]
- Personal Genomics Flop.....big Belly Flop! - January 8th, 2010 [January 8th, 2010]
- Gotta Love It. Even the daycare....... - January 11th, 2010 [January 11th, 2010]
- Congratulations Navigenics. You ARE a clinical lab! Uh-Oh... - January 12th, 2010 [January 12th, 2010]
- CETP, Jewish Centenarians and Alzheimers - January 14th, 2010 [January 14th, 2010]
- Enter the "Not" DTC Genomics Rep - January 17th, 2010 [January 17th, 2010]
- Why Dr. Vanier's Navigenics appointment is good for PM - January 22nd, 2010 [January 22nd, 2010]
- Holy Crap! MedCo Follows in CVS footsteps - February 3rd, 2010 [February 3rd, 2010]
- FDA, Warfarin, still not as sexy to me. - February 5th, 2010 [February 5th, 2010]
- Hype, Hype, Hype from a single study. - February 11th, 2010 [February 11th, 2010]
- I love my readers, even Renata M! - February 17th, 2010 [February 17th, 2010]
- How can insurers use DTC genomics to profile? - February 17th, 2010 [February 17th, 2010]
- 9p21.....ahem. Paynter et.al. Smackdown. Again. - February 18th, 2010 [February 18th, 2010]
- Hey! It's Pete Hulick! Are you Going to GET? - February 19th, 2010 [February 19th, 2010]
- I was wrong......AHEM - February 28th, 2010 [February 28th, 2010]
- G2C2, finally a tool for genomic education! - March 2nd, 2010 [March 2nd, 2010]
- Just 4 million? What 23andMe is worth. - March 5th, 2010 [March 5th, 2010]
- What a difference a year makes - March 9th, 2010 [March 9th, 2010]
- ........DTC Genomic Medicine? - March 12th, 2010 [March 12th, 2010]
- The FDA, 2c19 and the ACC - March 13th, 2010 [March 13th, 2010]
- The problem with Comparative Whole Genomics...... - March 13th, 2010 [March 13th, 2010]
- BRCA testing by 23andME is the same as Myriad Genetics. - March 15th, 2010 [March 15th, 2010]
- The Argument Against DTC Genomics Marketing and such - March 16th, 2010 [March 16th, 2010]
- A moment of Clarity. Some DTCG is not bad. - March 18th, 2010 [March 18th, 2010]
- SNPs for breast cancer risk? It Depends. - March 18th, 2010 [March 18th, 2010]
- How can MDVIP use Navigenics Test for Medicine? - March 18th, 2010 [March 18th, 2010]
- Why did P&G invest in Navigenics? - March 23rd, 2010 [March 23rd, 2010]
- PGx in DTCG? Doesn't stand up to Useful testing. - March 25th, 2010 [March 25th, 2010]
- End of Gene Patents? - March 29th, 2010 [March 29th, 2010]
- Sherpa Accepting Chief Medical Officership - April 3rd, 2010 [April 3rd, 2010]
- The Rumors of My Death........ - April 20th, 2010 [April 20th, 2010]
- Happy DNA Day! - April 25th, 2010 [April 25th, 2010]
- 99 USD, DNA day and patient letters - April 25th, 2010 [April 25th, 2010]
- 2C19, Navigenics and Clinical Reality. - May 1st, 2010 [May 1st, 2010]
- Coriell Personalized Medicine Collaborative rising - May 7th, 2010 [May 7th, 2010]
- Personal Genomes in Clinical Care. Quake paper is a waste! - May 11th, 2010 [May 11th, 2010]
- Personal Genomes in Clinical Care. Quake paper Falls Short! - May 13th, 2010 [May 13th, 2010]
- Last post edited by Drew - May 13th, 2010 [May 13th, 2010]
- GateKeeper? FCUK U! - May 13th, 2010 [May 13th, 2010]
- GateKeeper? F! U! - May 15th, 2010 [May 15th, 2010]
- Potential of genomic medicine, LOST - May 19th, 2010 [May 19th, 2010]
- How Bad Can a House Investigation be for DTC Genomics? - May 20th, 2010 [May 20th, 2010]