Mayo Clinic Develops Covid-19 Test

Mayo Laboratory President William Morice II Ph.D., M.D., said "This test should help ease some of the burden that is currently being felt at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and state public health laboratories."

Coronavirus

Mayo Clinic in Rochester MN has developed its own test for Covid-19, commonly known as Coronavirus.

Mayo Laboratory President William Morice II Ph.D., M.D., said “This test should help ease some of the burden that is currently being felt at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and state public health laboratories.” The test has been sent to the FDA to be authorized for use.

According to Matthew Binnicker Ph.D., a microbiologist at Mayo, the new test could lead to people getting their results within 24 hours. He also said in a video for the Mayo Clinic News Network, “This is an issue that the whole world is grappling with and so we felt like it was our moral obligation to offer testing to as many people as we can.” Binnicker stated that the lab could handle 200 to 300 tests in a day, and new equipment should arrive in the coming weeks to double capacity. The test was created in roughly a month, a great achievement in a field where tests usually take at least 6 months to create.

The cost of the test has not been released, but most Minnesotans may not have to pay for tests once they are available.  MPR is reporting that, Minnesotans who have private insurance through MNsure or “Medicare-related plans” will have their costs waived if the tests follow CDC guidelines.

Judah Torgerud

Judah Torgerud is a freelance journalist working with Alpha News to keep the people informed and bring the truth to light. Contact him at whqnu@nycunarjfza.pbz.