Mobile lab expected to improve test turnaround
IMPERIAL COUNTY -- A National Guard mobile analytical laboratory has been deployed here to assist with the county’s COVID- 19 response efforts, the Imperial County Public Health Department announced in a release late Friday.
The mobile lab will be used to expand the capacity of the Imperial County Public Health Department laboratory and will assist in processing COVID-19 tests with quicker results, officials said.
The request for additional laboratory support was initiated by Imperial County officials and authorized by the California Governor’s Office, the release said. The mobile laboratory is equipped with a diagnostic platform that allows for faster turnaround time for high-priority specimens.
The unit arrived fully staffed with laboratory technologists who have received the appropriate licensing and training to conduct COVID-19 laboratory testing. Local operations began Wednesday and are expected to continue until the county’s needs are met.
The mobile lab unit does not administer COVID- 19 testing and is not open to the public.
“Expanded laboratory capacity is essential in our mission to protect the health and safety of our residents,” said county Public Health Officer Dr. Stephen Munday. “It aids our eff orts to quickly identify and isolate those who test positive for COVID- 19. The sooner we can slow the spread of this virus the sooner our community can begin to regain some sense of normalcy and move toward economic recovery.”