Dr. Matthew Binnicker oversees Mayo Clinic’s laboratory response in developing a test to detect COVID-19 in clinical samples. A process that usually takes six months to a year, was accomplished in under a month, thanks to a dedicated team working around the clock. The test should help ease the burden currently being felt at the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention and state health labs. That will also mean faster turnaround times for results. Patients can expect results within 24 hours of when samples are collected and sent to Mayo Clinic Laboratories. Initially, Dr. Binnicker says the laboratory has the capacity to run between 200-300 tests daily. Additional equipment has been ordered to double that capacity in the coming weeks.

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