Public Health runs record number of Covid-19 tests in a week thanks to new equipment

HUMBOLDT COUNTY, Calif. (KIEM) — The Humboldt County Public Health lab recently ran 1,280 Covid-19 tests in week thanks to a new testing process and the early delivery of a new piece of equipment. This is nearly 10 times more than the lab normally processes in a year.  

The new machine, the KingFisher Flex by Thermofisher Scientific, is a piece of high-end lab equipment that automates the extraction of RNA and DNA, which is the genetic material that allows a microbiologist to determine if a sample has markers for Covid-19. 

It allows for higher volume sample testing. To give you a better idea, the KingFisher Flex can prepare up to 94 samples in 23 minutes compared to the 13 samples in 45 minutes the lab’s previous extractor could process.  

A new testing method is also a factor in increasing the number of tests processed. It’s a fast diagnostic solution that contains the fluids and controls needed for real-time detection of RNA from the Covid-19 virus.