Sema4 set to ramp up Conn. virus testing
STAMFORD — Health care information firm Sema4 announced this week that it is increasing the capacity for its new coronavirus testing program to at least 10,000 tests daily and up to 20,000, with the initiative supporting first responders, nursing homes and primary care centers in Connecticut.
Sema4’s partnership with the state government builds on a regimen that since April has processed several thousand COVID-19 tests at its laboratory in Branford for 30 Connecticut-based health care facilities. Sema4 is also conducting antibody testing to identify people who have been exposed and whose immune systems have responded to the coronavirus virus, with the goal of running about 5,000 of the tests per day by the end of June.
“As a health intelligence company, we will fully leverage our technical expertise to deliver a state-ofthe-art digital solution for the ordering, tracking, analysis and viewing of test results for providers and patients, in delivering rapid and accurate COVID-19 testing,” Sema4 founder and CEO Eric Schadt said in a statement. “Our team is working relentlessly to provide expanded viral and antibody testing to support state employees, first responders and all Connecticut residents who need testing during this public health crisis.”
Today, Stamford-headquartered Sema4 is building out its system to run tests for the residents and staff at more than 30 nursing homes; patients at all Community Health Centers in the state; first responders in Stamford, Darien and other parts of Connecticut; and Connecticut National Guard members.
Sema4’s viral tests are manufactured by PerkinElmer and its antibody tests are run on the Abbott Alinity system, in accordance with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Emergency Use Authorization.
Results are returned within about 24 hours of receiving the sample for the viral test and around 48 hours for the antibody test, according to the company.
Sema4 accepts saliva, nasal swab and oral swab samples, which are collected by health care providers and at authorized collection sites. It plans to soon accept saliva samples taken at home.
The tests are offered with no out-of-pocket cost to Connecticut residents, the company said.
Testing is crucial to efforts to track and reduce coronavirus’ spread. As of Monday, about 259,000 people had taken tests for the virus in Connecticut.
About 7,300 of every 100,000 people in the state have been tested, a rate that ranks ninth among the states, according to Johns Hopkins University’s Coronavirus Resource Center. Rhode Island ranks No. 1, having tested about 14,800 for every 100,000 people, followed by about 10,800 for New York and 9,600 for North Dakota.
To help employers manage back-to-work programs, Sema4 said it would provide an “even more complete, end-to-end digital solution” for those ordering and receiving tests, including portals for registering employees, tracking samples and reporting results.
“We are very fortunate to have Sema4 as a partner with industry-leading testing experience, state-of-theart digital tools and analysis, outstanding clinical expertise, and the labs to be able to ramp up COVID-19 testing quickly,” Lt. Col. Christopher Chabot, leader of Connecticut COVID-19 testing program, said in a statement. “Our partnership with Sema4 will make a significant difference in keeping many of our residents safe, including numerous people that are particularly vulnerable to infection.”
Alongside its coronavirus testing, Sema4 provides genomic testing and analysis services to hundreds of thousands of patients every year that focus on women’s health and oncological care.
Sema4’s main offices are based at 333 Ludlow St. in the South End of Stamford. It is building another lab in the Waterside section of Stamford, with the 70,000square-foot center scheduled to open later this year.