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After federal health officials declared that it has become a matter of “when, not if,” the virus will spread to the United States, local institutions throughout the country have begun taking measures in an effort to curtail the coronavirus outbreak.
Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont announced on Friday, Feb. 28 that the lab has received approval from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Food and Drug Administration to begin diagnostic testing.
Lamont said the “new capability will save critical time in diagnosing and treating any future patients with COVID-19.” Previously, all tissue samples from patients being tested had to be delivered to CDC testing sites in Atlanta to be diagnosed.
“As our administration laid out this week, Connecticut is taking every necessary precaution and proactive step to ensure we are ready to respond to the novel coronavirus,” the governor stated. “Being able to test for the virus locally will allow us to conduct diagnostics and take every measure in our capability in an expedited fashion.”
Lamont noted that any positive test results for coronavirus at the state’s laboratory will be actionable, and medical decisions on treatment related to a patient can be made by health care providers.
There have been no confirmed cases of coronavirus in Connecticut, and no patients are currently under investigation for exposure.
Connecticut’s Public Health Commissioner Renee Coleman Mitchell added, “with testing now available in Connecticut, we can turn around test results within 24 hours of getting samples. This will improve the investigation of any future cases and tracking down anyone potentially exposed to the disease.
“Information is critical to managing an outbreak of any infectious disease, and testing at our state lab offers the greatest ability for all of us to make the best decisions to protect the health of the greatest number of people.”
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