Waltham Company Tapped To Help Speed Up Coronavirus Tests

WALTHAM, MA — A Waltham-based lab equipment company received emergency FDA authorization to start sending its coronavirus test kits to hospitals and labs around the country in an effort to more speedily diagnose the new coronavirus.

The company, Thermo Fisher Scientific, is planning to produce 5 million test kits per week by April. The announcement comes amid criticism for lack of tests healthcare and the pace of testing from hospitals and public officials alike.

Thermo Fisher's test is designed to provide patient results within four hours of a sample being received by a lab, according to the company.

"The authorization of our diagnostic test for COVID-19 will help to protect patients and enable medical staff to respond swiftly to treat those who are ill and prevent the spread of infection," said Marc Casper, head of Thermo Fisher in a statement. "In partnership with the FDA and regulatory authorities around the world, we are committed to expanding the availability of diagnostic testing to prevent the spread of this disease."

The company has 1.5 million tests available to ship and expects to ramp up to reach 2 million tests per week shortly, scaling production up to 5 million tests per week during the month of April.

The tests will initially be distributed to some 200 labs across the U.S. and Thermo Fisher will work in partnership with government agencies and private partners to expand access.

Thermo Fisher is one of two companies that got the FDA emergency green light.

"Based on the unprecedented speed of the FDA, which last week approved high-throughput coronavirus testings for Roche and Thermo Fisher, we will now have access in the days ahead to more than 2,000 labs across the country that have the equipment today to process coronavirus tests much more rapidly and a much higher volume for the American people," said Vice President Mike Pence at a press briefing March 15.

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According to the CDC, the best way of preventing the disease is to avoid close contact with people who are sick or people who are not in your household, to avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands, to wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, and to use a hand sanitizer that contains at least 60 percent alcohol if soap and water are not available.