More Labs Helping With COVID-19 in Wisconsin

MADISON, Wis. – Wisconsin will be able to double its capacity to process COVID-19 tests with the addition of new laboratories that will assist with the effort, Gov. Tony Evers said Monday.

The new public-private partnership includes laboratory support from Exact Sciences, Marshfield Clinic Health System, Promega, and UW Health. Existing labs that had been doing the testing were able to complete between 1,500 and 2,000 a day, but that is expected to double initially and grow as more supplies become available, Evers’ office said in a statement announcing the agreement.

The Wisconsin State Lab of Hygiene and the Milwaukee Public Health Lab has been leading the network to get additional testing.

Evers said that given the spread of COVID-19, “there will be significant pressure on our labs to keep pace with testing.”

As of Monday morning, 20 people had died in Wisconsin from the virus and more than 1,100 had tested positive.