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Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Testing Service Now Available Through Sonora Quest Laboratories

Wednesday, March 11, 2020   |   Category: Press Releases

TEMPE, Ariz. (March 11, 2020) – Sonora Quest Laboratories, the market share leader in diagnostic laboratory testing in Arizona, today announced it will begin to provide testing for the coronavirus (COVID-19) in collaboration with one of its parent companies, Quest Diagnostics. The new test service aids the presumptive detection of nucleic acid in respiratory specimens of patients meeting CDC's clinical criteria for COVID-19 testing.

Starting Wednesday, March 11, Sonora Quest will be in position to receive respiratory specimens for COVID-19 testing from appropriate health care settings, such as hospitals and physician offices. Sonora Quest patient service centers, phlebotomy sites, and mobile phlebotomists do not collect respiratory specimens, including from patients with suspected COVID-19. The testing requires a physician’s order and is not available directly to consumers. Patients suspected of, or confirmed to have, COVID-19 should consult with a physician regarding the best way to provide a specimen for testing by Sonora Quest.

Coronavirus Disease 2019 or COVID-19 (formally known as 2019-nCoV) is the name for the respiratory syndrome caused by infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).

The service will be provided as a laboratory developed test, pending review by the FDA under emergency use authorization (EUA) which Quest Diagnostics will submit per FDA guidance within 15 days of clinical testing. This test has been validated according to high-complexity testing under the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments and is pending the Food and Drug Administration agency’s independent review under the Emergency Use Authorization for novel coronavirus (COVID-19).

“Through our integrated laboratory network, we see many complex cases that have allowed us to build a foundation of expertise in public health response,” said Dr. Brian Koeneman, Scientific Director of Molecular Diagnostics with Sonora Quest. “This is a fluid situation and Sonora Quest is monitoring the situation closely to bolster our preparedness. As always, our priority remains the health and safety of our employees, patients and the communities we serve.”

For more information about the COVID-19 testing service, visit www.SonoraQuest.com/coronavirus.

About Sonora Quest Laboratories
Sonora Quest Laboratories, a joint venture between Banner Health and Quest Diagnostics (NYSE: DGX), is part of the nation’s largest integrated laboratory system with approximately 3,500 employees serving more than 22,000 patients every day throughout Arizona. Sonora Quest Laboratories is the market share leader in clinical laboratory testing in Arizona, performing nearly 90 million diagnostic tests per year.
Sonora Quest Laboratories offers a local comprehensive test menu which encompasses routine, molecular, prescription drug monitoring, genetic/genomic, women’s health and pathology testing services. My Lab ReQuest provides consumers direct access to a diverse range of affordable screening tests that can be ordered online at SonoraQuest.com or in any of Sonora Quest’s 75+ patient service centers across Arizona. Ninety-eight percent of all testing is performed at our primary testing facilities located in Tempe, Tucson, Flagstaff, Prescott and Yuma. Sonora Quest Laboratories is accredited by the College of American Pathologists (CAP) which is the gold standard in laboratory accreditation, helping laboratories to maintain accuracy of test results and ensure accurate patient diagnosis. This accreditation ensures the highest standard of care for all laboratory patients as CAP inspectors examine laboratory staff qualifications, equipment, facilities, safety program and records, and overall management. www.SonoraQuest.com.