A series on COVID-19 testing highlights Penn Medicine's microbiology and molecular pathology labs and the operational logistics behind the scenes. The facilities are operating 24/7 to process thousands of tests per week as demand continues to rise. To date, the health system has performed and processed nearly 238,000 tests — about 3,000 per day, on average — which accounts for roughly 9 percent of all testing in Pennsylvania, according to David Roth, MD, PhD, chair of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine. In addition, The health system will dramatically expand its testing capacity to accommodate the thousands of undergraduate students returning to campus in January, who will be tested twice per week. To ensure easy access to testing, Penn will be utilizing a saliva-based testing system (which has slightly lower sensitivity than the standard PCR test, but is easier to administer) for students at eight sites across campus.

Read part 1: To Catch and Contain COVID-19, Testing Is Step One
Read part 2: Step 2 - Processing Samples  
Read part 3: The Last Line of Defense - Contact Tracing
COVID-19 Testing Video: Behind the Scenes at Penn Medicine's Labs