UC Riverside's On-Campus Coronavirus Testing Lab Processing 400 Samples A Day
RIVERSIDE (CBSLA) — UC Riverside's on-campus coronavirus testing lab is now up and running at full capacity.
The university's lab opened last month and is now processing 400 samples a day. School administrators say they hope to increase their capacity to 600 samples a day over the next few weeks.
The lab is located in UC Riverside's Multidisciplinary Research Building and allows the campus to conduct more and faster testing than if the university used an outside service, according to professor Katherine Borkovich, who also chairs the Department of Microbiology and Plant Pathology.
UC Riverside's tests currently use saliva samples, and results are delivered in 24 hours. University officials say the quicker turnaround will help isolate infected students faster, and reduce the chance of a campus outbreak.
The ultimate goal is to test all students, staff, and faculty on campus at least once a month, officials said.