DESCRIPTION
Limited SARS-CoV-2 testing and resource availability continues to be a challenge for the lab medicine community. Join Dr. Steven Cagas and Dr. M. Laura Parnas as they provide an overview of the CoV family of viruses, the unique features of SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19, and the current outbreak epidemiology. Dr. Cagas will explain the current Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) processes and the EUA molecular tests available, while Dr. Parnas will discuss current biomarkers, serological assays, and potential therapies for COVID-19. Both will be reviewing key attributes to the testing, similarities and differences, and clinical relevance. There will be further discussion on how testing sites are exercising clinical judgement on who to test and when, identifying the symptomatic overlap with other respiratory infections and care strategies for patients who do test positive.
WHAT YOU WILL LEARN
- Describe the unique features of COVID-19 disease, relative to other coronavirus-associated infections.
- Differentiate the FDA pathways to EUA approval and the different SARS-CoV-2 EUA technologies currently available.
- Recognize how resource challenges from the laboratory to the clinical setting impact testing in the United States.
SPEAKER
Dr. Steven Cagas
Scientific Affairs Manager
Medical and Scientific Affairs – Molecular Diagnostics Division
Roche Diagnostics Corporation
Dr. M. Laura Parnas
Senior Scientific Affairs
Manager
Medical and Scientific Affairs - Centralized Diagnostics
Roche Diagnostics Corporation
This activity is approved for 1.0 ACCENT continuing education credits. Activity ID# 1995. This activity was planned in accordance with ACCENT Standards and Policies.