University of Virginia Health is administering its own COVID-19 testing on Wednesday as coronavirus cases increase in the state.
UVA Health said the test "will provide health officials a better idea of the spread of COVID-19 in the Charlottesville area."
UVA’s experts say they have the testing capacity for all in-patient testing at UVA Hospital and UVA clinics. Testing will be performed on patients with symptoms and those deemed as high-risk for coronavirus by doctors.
The increase in testing will result in an uptick of coronavirus cases in the following days, UVA said.
"A major limitation of understanding the spread of the virus to date has been the lack of available testing," UVA said.
The test was developed with the help of donations and by the university's reagents. Two physicians paid an important role in developing the test: Mendy Poulter and Amy Mathers, UVA said.
“This was truly a remarkable team effort across the entire institution at an incredibly challenging time,” Executive Vice President for Health Affairs Dr. K. Craig Kent said. “It was amazing to see how swiftly everyone rose to the challenge and made this happen in order to serve the community during this time of need."
