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News about coronavirus in Florida and around the world is constantly emerging. It's hard to stay on top of it all but Health News Florida can help. Our responsibility is to keep you informed, and to help discern what’s important for your family as you make what could be life-saving decisions.

FSU, Hospital Partnering On COVID-19 Testing Lab

Leon County Judge John Cooper on June 30, 2022, in a screen grab from The Florida Channel.
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The Florida Channel
Leon County Judge John Cooper on June 30, 2022, in a screen grab from The Florida Channel.

Florida State University and Tallahassee Memorial Healthcare are partnering to operate a lab that can quickly process COVID-19 tests.
 
The lab can process 1,000 tests per day and give results in 24 hours or less. It will process samples from FSU students, faculty, and staff as well as TMH patients.
 
Gary Ostrander, vice president for research at Florida State, says fast results are important since asymptomatic people who have COVID-19 sometimes take fewer precautions, leading them to spread the virus while waiting for test results.
 
“You know, they don’t feel bad so there’s no reason to stay home and stay isolated,” he says.
 
Ostrander says cutting down on that wait time via the lab could help curb the spread.
 
“If I test you tomorrow morning and I have a result by tomorrow night, the number of people you’ve interacted with is a whole lot less than if I don’t get a result to you ’til next Monday,” he says. 
 
Ostrander says the lab is meant to be temporary and not permanent.