NEW ORLEANS — Two area hospitals are now able to get their patients' COVID-19 results in as little as four hours thanks to a method of testing recently approved by the FDA.
Tulane Medical Center and University Medical Center in New Orleans are using new coronavirus tests that yield results within hours, rather than having to wait days to know if someone is infected. They are able to process 200 new tests between the two hospitals.
It's an important improvement in medical capacity for the metro area, as health officials around the country say faster testing is one of the biggest steps needed to better contain the spread of the contagion.
A joint-medical team with members from Tulane and LSU medical schools and local hospitals began trying the tests over the weekend, using a specialized machine manufactured by Roche Diagnostics, a medical technology company based out of Switzerland.
The machine, a Cobas 6800 analyzer, can detect the virus in saliva and mucus swab samples from patients. It was approved for coronavirus testing by the FDA last month.
Dr. Byron Crawford from Tulane Medical Center, whose laboratory is home to the machine, said because of faster results, they're better able to treat patients if they have the virus.
"It reduces all of the resources that are used to take care of the COVID patients. We have a large shortage on personal protective equipment (PPE), so if it’s not necessary to use that because a patient isn’t infected, it saves a lot of equipment,” Crawford said.
It also means that tests no longer need to be shipped to the State lab in Baton Rouge.
Officials say testing will go for about a month as long as supplies are available.
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