GRAND HAVEN, Mich. (WOOD) — Thanks to a scientific breakthrough medical staff with the North Ottawa Community Health System are able to test three times the number of people who may have contracted the coronavirus.
Due to the shortage of testing kits and necessary supplies, state guidelines forbade them from testing the general public, only priority one or two patients; very high-risk patients, those already hospitalized, health care workers and first responders.
Medical Director of NOCHS urgent care facility Dr. Lisa Hoekstra told News 8 the breakthrough was made by Lab Director Nicole Kamp.
“We began working on ways to test this very early on, back in January. Sometimes it just takes that long to come up with a great idea,” Hoekstra said. “Kamp made the testing kits. We’ve never gotten any from the federal government. They’re just not available. She discovered the lab could run the test successfully with a third of the amount of the viral media included within.”
More at WOOD-TV.