MSU stepping up to help with COVID-19 testing

[Joe Bobcat]

I couldn't be any prouder of my university! Leave it to President Crusado to be at the forefront helping to do all that can be done in this situation.
Maybe UM will follow and do what they can too. Perhaps they can come up with an inspiring interpretive dance or poem.


By: MTN NewsPosted at 3:13 PM, Jul 22, 2020 and last updated 11:14 PM, Jul 22, 2020
Montana Gov. Steve Bullock said Wednesday he has found a "Montana solution" to ease the backlog for being able to get tests results processed, announcing a new partnership with Montana State University to expand surveillance COVID-19 testing for critical front-line health care personnel, essential workers and other groups.

Bullock said the state had surpassed the testing target of 60,000 tests a month, performing 62,500 over the previous four weeks. But community asymptomatic testing events had to be halted because Quest Diagnostics—the company hired by the state to process the tests—is running so far behind.

Montana State University will use four qPCR machines to do the surveillance testing at the direction of the Department of Public Health and Human Services.

“Our state lab is working with the university on the validation of their machines even as we speak. And we anticipate that the university's lab will be able to given testing live samples from 500 people per day starting as early as next week," Bullock said at a news conference in Helena.

Bullock was joined by MSU president Waded Cruzado at the conference to announce the partnership.

“Montana State has the necessary expertise among our student, faculty, and staff to run this project and to assist our state. Our researchers have poured their enthusiasm, their creativity, and their energies into making this a reality,” said Cruzado.

[imacat]

Just one more reason I am proud to be a Bobcat.