VCU Health develops COVID-19 test kit

Testing will be primarily administered to hospitalized patients with severe symptoms.

Published March 25, 2020 by Sydney Lake

Virginia Commonwealth University Health System announced Wednesday that it has developed a COVID-19 test that it will administer to inpatients through a pilot program.

Tests will be administered primarily to patients who have severe symptoms and are hospitalized within the VCU Health System, dependent on supply. The goal is to garner same-day results for patients who have been tested, depending on the volume of tests given.

“Being able to determine whether a patient does or does not have COVID-19 quickly is of critical importance,” said Christopher Doern, director of microbiology at VCU Health, in a statement. “Being able to do that in our own laboratory will be a game-changer in how we manage patients with potential COVID-19 symptoms.”

VCU Health will also continue to administer tests from private and public state health labs for all patients with COVID-19 symptoms, whether or not they’re hospitalized. 

“One of the most incredible things is that, 10 days ago, this test didn’t exist,” Doern said in a statement. “We designed this test from the ground up in less than two weeks, a process that under normal circumstances would take a year or more.”