The California Department of Public Health announced today that 16 laboratories, including the state’s Viral Disease Laboratory in Richmond, will soon be able to perform testing for the novel coronavirus.
This service will provide more rapid results than currently available and help to inform public health action and medical care for people who may have been exposed to novel coronavirus.
Results from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention currently take between two to seven days. The Public Health Department lab anticipates it will be able to conduct testing beginning Wednesday, February 12, and report results within two days of specimen receipt.
Meanwhile, local health departments are also expected to be able to conduct tests within a couple of weeks.
