COMMUNITY CORNER

Local Impact

OMNICLASSROOM, A COVID SCHOOL TESTING PROGRAM FOR GREATER LOS ANGELES SCHOOLS

As schools prepare to reopen, OmniClassroom offers a comprehensive program that allows schools to test staff, students, and families using Omni’s PCR testing. OmniClassroom provides test kits to Los Angeles-area schools, coordinates testing on-campus, and samples are returned to OmniPathology to be tested and resulted within 24 hours. The Omni-COVID-19 Test uses real-time RT-PCR technology to detect SARS-CoV-2, the virus causing the COVID-19 pandemic. The test is performed on nasal swabs.

ARTANDMED - TED MEYER CHATS WITH PATHOLOGIST AND ARTIST MOHAMMAD A. KAMAL, M.D.

Watch Dr. Mohammad Kamal’s with Ted Meyer where he chats about how he makes art from the cell samples that arrive at his lab each day, the art world, and how perfection in nature works for both art and pathology.

FRONT PAGE WITH DOMINIQUE DIPRIMA - THE TRUTH ABOUT COVID-19 TESTING WITH DR. MOHAMMAD KAMAL

Listen to Dr. Mohammad Kamal’s interview on 102.3 FM with Dominique DiPrima regarding testing for COVID-19.

COMMUNITY CORNER: TESTING Q&A

  • Laboratories are certified by the federal government through a program known as CLIA-88 Clinical Laboratories Amendment Act-88. States are given the oversight of the CLIA program. High complexity laboratories are recognized by CLIA as those that have demonstrated the ability to perform complex testing, using acceptable policies and procedures that have been inspected by CLIA. Testing at high complexity laboratories is performed by qualified personnel under the supervision of a medical director who is a pathologist or PhD in laboratory sciences. Every two years, CLIA inspects the laboratory and ensures that policies and procedures are in place and being followed, testing accuracy is verified, the staff is trained and ongoing competency assessment is performed.

  • PCR stands for Polymerase Chain Reaction. In case of the novel corona virus that causes COVID-19, probes identifying the virus known as primer are used to generate a reaction that includes extraction and amplification of the virus genetic material if found in the patient’s sample. Fluorescent tags are used to detect the signals in positive cases. Modern PCR systems allow this entire, complicated multistep process to be performed internally in one automated instrument. This automation plays an important role in eliminating human errors or cross contamination and increases the capability to scale up the process allowing for testing multiple samples at the same time.

  • At the beginning of the Corona Virus outbreak, there was significant shortage of tests and many patients were unable to get tested. Those who were tested had to wait for many days to get the results. In addition to increased patients’ anxiety as they waited for testing, this delay meant a delay in identifying and isolating positive cases, who can potentially infect other individuals. The faster you get the results, the sooner you can isolate the positive cases and eliminate the potential of transmitting the disease to others.

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