Quest Diagnostics to Double U.S. Coronavirus Testing Capacity by Mid-May
One of the country's largest clinical laboratory operators, Quest Diagnostics (NYSE: DGX) says that by mid-May, it will have enough capacity in the U.S. to perform over 200,000 COVID-19 antibody tests per day. Management made that forecast during Wednesday's otherwise depressing first-quarter earnings call.
On Tuesday, Quest Diagnostics began performing tests for the antibodies produced by immune systems that are fighting off SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus responsible for COVID-19. There's nothing necessarily wrong with antibody tests, but they aren't much use when it comes to a virus containment effort, nor for immediate diagnostic purposes. People don't usually develop the antibodies that Quest is testing for until 14 days after they have started to show symptoms. They can, however, help shed light on how widely the coronavirus has spread, and whether those who have recovered from COVID-19 have some degree of protection from reinfection.
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Source Fool.com
