Alverno Laboratories testing thousands of COVID-19 specimens daily

Alverno L

aboratories continues to be an industry leader in developing rapid response to COVID-19 testing.

“We are building an arsenal of capabilities to continue our battle with this terrible disease that has affected so many lives in so many ways,” Alverno CEO Sam Terese said. “Alverno’s focus is to provide our healthcare professionals with the tests they need to have the best possible outcomes for their patients.”

Terese noted that Alverno is expanding capacity to handle more PCR testing, the most definitive test. In addition to two DiaSorin instruments which process about 200 PCR tests per day, Alverno’s central laboratory, located in Hammond, Indiana, has acquired three Abbott m2000 instruments that can process roughly 1,400 specimens per day. Three Abbott Alinity m analyzers will arrive in May, allowing Alverno to process an additional 2,400 COVID-19 PCR tests per day by mid-June.

It doesn’t stop there. Terese continued, “Alverno is adding many new tests to our hospital laboratory test menus as we learn more about the disease, including coagulation testing and others used to help treat the many complications patients face during the battle with COVID-19.”

“While the COVID-19 crisis progresses, many discussions are continuing to unfold around testing, including serology (i.e. IgG and/or IgM antibody testing). However, if the test does not perform with a certain degree of accuracy or the kits and reagents cannot be acquired in enough quantities, the test is not useful” Terese added. He noted that Alverno has also the ability to test for SARS-CoV-19 IgG antibodies. “We continue to evaluate other serological assays for COVID-19. As always with testing, we must rely on our doctors to best determine which tests are necessary for their patients.

In the last year, the company, added two Chicago hospitals to its network: Mount Sinai Hospital, 1500 S. Fairfield Avenue, and Holy Cross Hospital, 2701 W. 68th Street. Eight suburban AMITA Health hospitals were also added, increasing the number of hospitals in Alverno’s network to 36, doubling the 18 Alverno partnered with in 2005. “The additional hospitals required Alverno to add 20 associates to the central lab and has increased the total number of associates from 1,700 to around 2,100”, Terese said. Terese added that Alverno’s next goal is to expand beyond Illinois and Indiana.

For more information, visit https://alvernolabs.com/.