Arizona Public Radio | Your Source for NPR News
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

TGEN North Head Says It Could Soon Be Testing For COVID-19

en.wikipedia.org

The director of Flagstaff biotech firm TGen North says the nonprofit could soon be allowed to run tests for COVID-19.

David Engelthaler made the comments Tuesday during a campus forum at Northern Arizona University. He says his lab is awaiting federal approval to begin testing.

“At least now we’re going to have the surveillance systems in place to hopefully detect that quickly, provide information to public health officials and health officials here on campus and elsewhere, to be able to appropriately respond.”

Currently, state health departments are the only non-federal agencies approved to test for COVID-19, but a change in F.D.A. rules has cleared the path for federally certified labs to apply to run the test.

Engelthaler says testing by independent biotech companies could help local hospitals make quicker diagnoses and give better information to health officials

Related Content