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Photos by Joe Cascio/Kaleida Health
Photos by Joe Cascio/Kaleida Health

Kaleida Health labs expand again; open testing up communitywide for those symptomatic

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Mon, Apr 20th 2020 03:50 pm

Kaleida Health on Monday announced it has once again expanded its laboratory testing capability for COVID-19, adding anyone in the general public who has been deemed symptomatic by their primary care doctor and has received a prescription to obtain testing.

Those who are in need of a coronavirus test (symptomatic with fever greater than 100, cough, shortness of breath), can visit the Kaleida Health website (www.Kaleidahealth.org) and answer a series of screening questions.

A press release said, “Important to note that, in order to get tested, a lab order requisition (prescription) is required from the individual’s primary care provider/office. Testing is done at two central sites and results can be returned in about 48 hours.”

Working together with the Erie County Department of Health, this is the fourth expansion of testing for Kaleida Health’s labs, as they first focused on symptomatic/critical patients and front line hospital workers. Next, the organization added fellow hospital system employees from the Catholic Health System, the VA, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center and ECMC, as well as first responders from across Western New York.

Late last week, the Kaleida Health labs, headquartered on Flint Road in Williamsville, added essential workers to its testing platform.

The press release added, “In addition to this diagnostic antigen testing that the laboratories are currently offering, Kaleida Health has also received the coveted antibody test kits from Abbott Inc. that are currently undergoing validation. The test is a serology test and can be a critical next step in battling this virus.

“The utility for these tests is still being determined by state and federal agencies. Once that guidance is published by the government regulators, Kaleida Health is well positioned and will begin offering this test to the appropriate sub groups/populations.”

Since March 16, the Kaleida Health Laboratories team has analyzed nearly 4,000 COVID-19 tests. In mid-March, dozens of tests a day were analyzed, but now, the labs have the capacity to process nearly 500 tests a day.

For testing questions, the Kaleida Health coronavirus hotline remains open seven days a week, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at 716-859-3222, or visit www.kaleidahealth.org.

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