CoreMedica Providing COVID-19 Antibody Testing for Hotspot Mitigation
LEE'S SUMMIT, Mo., May 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- CoreMedica Laboratories Inc. (CoreMedica) announced today its strategy of mitigating hotspots in collaboration with the COVID-19 Task Force in Cass County using CoreMedica's COVID-19 Antibody Screening Test. The Hotspot Mitigation program in cooperation with local government authorities is currently underway in Missouri and is initially working with nursing homes in Cass, St. Charles, and St. Louis Counties as well as testing First Responders in Cass County.
CoreMedica's antibody test uses finger-stick collected capillary blood samples for detection of antibodies (IgG/IgM) developed in response to the Novel Coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2). This antibody test is designed to help identify and track population spread of virus exposure and to identify asymptomatic carriers who have likely not been tested using PCR-based molecular assays. A key benefit of the test is easy-to-use sample collection that can be completed anywhere, reducing the need to travel to a doctor's office or testing site.
Current testing results have identified the continued prevalence and spread of the disease with initial data in testing 550 people showing 11.8% IgG positives and 4.4% IgM positives. Of those IgM positives – 50% presented a single (1) or zero (0) current/past symptom associated with the virus and 60% were later identified as PCR positive.
Cory Zuehlsdorf, Chief Operating Officer and Director of CoreMedica's North America operations shares, "CoreMedica was founded on the premise that blood analysis should be convenient and accessible so that more individuals can have insights into their health. Now more than ever individuals need access to testing to understand their SARS-CoV-2 immunity status and make informed decisions about their health. Cass County is at the forefront in our collaboration to test as many fellow Missourians as possible. To launch this effort and begin testing locally in our own backyard was our first and foremost priority."
"Advanced testing techniques can find the virus directly or detect whether our immune systems have withstood the virus. Used together, this can allow us to trace where it has been. Once we can locate COVID-19 in our community and understand where it is going then we will be better equipped to safely come out of our homes and go back to work and school," says Dr. Kevin Latinis, MD, PhD, of Latinis Rheumatology, Scientific Advisor for the Cass County COVID-19 Task Force. "As a clinician who understands immunological-based diseases as well as a scientist with the training in immunology research, I realized there was a local need to help out the COVID-19 testing crisis. I found a company that could deliver a product to allow me to rapidly identify and mitigate risk in a targeted nursing home hotspot. I am very proud of the hard work and collaborative effort from the scientists, executives, and staff at all levels at CoreMedica. They put their primary effort into saving lives in the Kansas City community. We have successfully accomplished my immediate goal and now we have to get on with bigger things and reopen the economy."
About CoreMedica Laboratories Inc.
Founded in 2010 with locations in Lee's Summit, Missouri and Geneva, Switzerland, CoreMedica is accredited by the College of American Pathologists (CAP) and Certified by Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA). CoreMedica's specimen analysis capabilities span across multiple collection modalities and methods, using fingerstick or venipuncture. CoreMedica is a leader in dried blood collection and analysis and its centralized lab operations allows for industry leading turnaround time, consistency, and quality.
About Cass Community Health Foundation
Cass Community Health Foundation is a not-for-profit organization established in 1984 that seeks to empower the community through improved health. The Foundations programs are primarily funded through contributions received from individuals and businesses from the Cass County area.
SOURCE CoreMedica Laboratories
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