ROCHESTER, Minn. — The Mayo Clinic in Rochester says it has developed its own way of testing for the COVID-19 coronavirus, according to its website Thursday afternoon.
The test specifically detects SARS-CoV-2, a virus that the clinic says causes COVID-19 coronavirus.
Some of the methods used to obtain samples include nasopharyngeal swabs, sputum, throat swabs, bronchoalveolar lavages, and bronchial washings.
"An individual can now receive his or her result for SARS-CoV-2 within 24 hours," says Matthew Binnicker, Ph.D., a clinical microbiologist and director of the Clinical Virology Laboratory at Mayo Clinic in Rochester.
Mayo Clinic says the test has been fully validated and will be submitted to the Food and Drug Administration for review and authorization of use.
"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," says president of Mayo Clinic Laboratories William Morice II, M.D., Ph.D. "We are doing everything we can to help relieve the burden during this time to provide answers for patients here in Rochester and around the world."
The tests can identify SARS-CoV-2 from a variety of clinical samples acquired from suspected COVID-19 patients.
Mayo Clinic says all samples that test positive for the virus will be sent to the Minnesota Department of Health, or the CDC in order to confirm results.
You can learn more about the methods used to conduct these clinical tests on Mayo Clinic's website.
Our coverage of the coronavirus is rooted in Facts, not Fear. Visit our coronavirus section for comprehensive coverage, find out what you need to know about the Midwest specifically, and keep tabs on the cases around the world here. Have a question? Text it to us at 763-797-7215.
KARE 11 coronavirus YouTube playlist
