Pennsylvania begins coronavirus testing at state-owned lab in Exton

HARRISBURG, Pa. - A Pennsylvania state laboratory is now able to handle about 25 specimens per day for a new coronavirus that is sickening people across the globe, state health officials said Wednesday.

The state’s health secretary, Dr. Rachel Levine, said getting test results from the state-run lab in Exton is reducing the turn-around time significantly, making them typically available within about a day.

Levine encouraged people who fear they may have the COVID-19 illness to call their doctor or hospital. Those health care workers can determine the next steps and take a sample if testing is necessary. State officials indicated that all positive cases will be reported as presumptivce positive cases and sent to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for confirmation.

A lab in Exton, Pennsylvania will now be able to handle testing for COVID-19.

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Levine said private labs are also likely to soon get federal permission to perform testing.

There have been no confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Pennsylvania, where testing and tracking began about a month ago. There have been more than 100 COVID-19 cases in the United States and 11 deaths, nearly all occurring in Washington state with one death in California.

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