The University of Oregon is collaborating with McKenzie Willamette Medical Center in Springfield to increase the capacity to test for COVID-19 in Lane County.
Cassandra Moseley is U of O Associate Vice President for Research and Innovation. She says the University has researchers, equipment and capacity, but wanted a medical partner’s expertise in order to start the project. They’re providing a testing machine, instruments and other assistance. The hospital should be able to run 200 tests per day, Moseley says.
“Once we have adequate supplies, the chemicals and things like that, we should be able to substantially increase testing. You know, us, like everybody, almost across the globe are challenged to get the chemicals necessary to run the test. So, at this point, that’s really going to be a limiting factor for us.”
Moseley hopes the chemicals become more available soon. So far, there have been nearly 17 hundred COVID-19 tests administered in Lane County which has a population of more than 375 thousand.
