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Creating a Blueprint for the Future: Lessons Learned From Public Health Laboratories in the COVID-19 Response
Denise Toney1, Michael Pentella, Eric Blank
1Division of Consolidated Laboratory Services, Virginia Department of General Services, Richmond, Virginia (Dr Toney); State Hygienic Laboratory at the University of Iowa, Coralville, Iowa (Dr Pentella); and Association of Public Health Laboratories, Silver Spring, Maryland (Dr Blank and Mr Becker).
Abstract:
Public health laboratories have played a central role in the US response to COVID-19. Since the earliest days, myriad issues have impeded the laboratory community's ability to keep pace with the overwhelming demand for effective tests. In this article, the Association of Public Health Laboratories and a subset of its members examine the response to date and evaluate lessons learned from 4 main categories: testing surges, supplies, staffing, and regulations and policy. Within these categories, the authors offer recommendations intended both to improve the ongoing COVID-19 response and to strengthen planning for future outbreaks.
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