As infection rates surge, thousands can be tested with a single sample

PITTSBURGH, PA, USA, July 16, 2020 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Microbac Laboratories, Inc. today announced the launch of wastewater testing services for SARS-CoV-2 , making it the largest independent lab network to offer the service.

As the nation grapples with a surge in new coronavirus infections, wastewater testing is giving community leaders a tool to measure whether the viral load is increasing or decreasing, and whether more stringent measures for mitigating the spread of the virus are required.

“The potential impact of a tool like this to help us understand the level of SARS-CoV-2 infection in a community is immeasurable” said Aaron Peacock, Microbac’s Director of Molecular Biology. “It may not be the most glamorous type of testing we do, but the information it affords is incredibly valuable.”

SARS-CoV-2 can take up to 14 days to appear with swab testing — its presence is detectable in wastewater up to 11 days sooner. Knowing whether viral load is increasing or decreasing, even if area residents are mostly asymptomatic, can help local health authorities respond faster to an oncoming outbreak. College and university administrations that implement wastewater testing as part of their surveillance structures could potentially trace outbreaks to a specific dorm.

“Leaders in government, education, industry and business are seeking out ways to return to a sense of normalcy, while ensuring the safety and wellbeing of those who interact with them,” said Trevor Boyce, Microbac’s Chairman and CEO. “With our wastewater testing for SARS-CoV-2, we’re able to offer them the most up-to-date scientific process, paired with half a century of experience and the accreditation they can trust.”

Microbac’s laboratory network includes one of few labs in the country approved by the CDC to grow and test on SARS-CoV-2. Its virologists have experience working on SARS, MERS, H1N1 and Zika virus. Testing on the first two products to be approved as effective in killing SARS-CoV-2 by the EPA, Lysol Disinfectant Spray and Lysol Disinfectant Max Cover Mist, was carried out at Microbac’s Sterling, Virginia virology lab.

For more information, please visit www.microbac.com

Ashley Letts
Microbac Laboratories
+1 778-668-3867
email us here

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