FARMINGTON, CT — The ability to get a test for COVID-19 has been hindered by both the lack of testing kits and testing supplies, and the number of labs available to do that testing.
To that end, Jackson Laboratory for Genomic Medicine announced Thursday in a press conference with Gov. Ned Lamont, that it would begin testing COVID-19 samples starting Monday, March 23.
Dr. Charles Lee, director and professor at Jackson Labs, said, they will be able to test about 100 to 150 samples per day.
“We view our participation in this unprecedented health crisis – in this case by using our clinical laboratory in Farmington for COVID-19 testing – as our humanitarian duty,” Lee said. “At our Bar Harbor, Maine location, we are also producing special mouse models that can be used for COVID-19 research in the hope of providing the scientific community with a critical resource needed to stem the current outbreak.”
The additional testing capacity will both allow the Department of Public Health to diagnose patients who have the virus, and allow researchers to learn more about the virus for broader epidemiological purposes. Ultimately, this will enable Connecticut to test more people, faster.
There are now 15 testing sites in Connecticut.
They are at Bridgeport, Bristol, Charlotte Hungerford. Danbury, Greenwich, Hartford, Johnson Memorial, Lawrence Memorial, Manchester Memorial, Mid-State Medical Center; Stamford, Saint Francis, Saint Mary’s, Waterbury, and Yale-New Haven Hospitals.
