Instant Coronavirus Test Being Developed In Pennsylvania

PENNSYLVANIA — A Pennsylvania company that performs coronavirus testing is significantly expanding its business in the state, and will soon offer rapid diagnostic testing which provides results instantly, state officials announced during a news conference Tuesday morning.

Orasure Technologies, which is based in Northampton County, is in the process of developing a rapid antigen self-test that would determine COVID-19 infection without involving a lab, officials said. Individuals can easily self-collect a sample and read the results on the test themselves shortly thereafter.

In addition, the company is also developing a lab-based antibody test which they aim to make widely available.

"This is gonna do a lot to improve the testing capability here," Gov. Wolf said.

Orasure's expansion means the creation of 177 new, full time jobs, and the retaining of another 233 jobs.

“One of the keys to stopping the spread of COVID-19 is expanding access to testing,” Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine said in a statement . “I want to thank OraSure for its commitment to saving lives, not just in Pennsylvania, but throughout the world.”

Orasure will receive funding from the state for the testing development, including a $531,000 Pennsylvania First grant and $531,000 in Job Creation tax credits, the state said.

For Orasure's part, they're investing $7.5 million in the project.

The work is even more vital given the recent testing delay in Pennsylvania and around the nation, as labs are overwhelmed with increased testing demands. In some cases, tests took weeks to come back with results, leaving patients hanging and making contact tracing extremely difficult.

“OraSure’s expansion means so much for Pennsylvania, including new career opportunities in the Lehigh Valley and increased testing capability for the state as a whole,” said DCED Secretary Dennis Davin. “As the commonwealth reopens safely, quick, accessible and accurate testing is critical for mitigating the spread of COVID-19 and as we keep the health and safety of all Pennsylvanians our first priority.”

Pennsylvania has not received the same level of federal resources as other states for testing expansion, Wolf said Tuesday, because cases are not increasing here the way they are in parts of the south and the southwest.

Pennsylvania reported its lowest number of new coronavirus cases in more than a month Monday, as 601 additional positive cases of COVID-19 were confirmed. The statewide total of cases is now 119,453.