OSU’s COVID-19 testing lab moves to new home

Wednesday, September 30, 2020

Oklahoma State University’s COVID-19 testing lab has a new, permanent home. The lab moved over Labor Day weekend to Venture 1, an OSU research facility southwest of the main campus.

OSU answered the call in March when a confirmed case of the novel coronavirus was first reported in Oklahoma. In a matter of days, a human diagnostic lab was established on the Stillwater campus, thanks to initial partnerships between OSU Research, OSU Medicine and the OSU College of Veterinary Medicine. At that time, the COVID-19 testing lab operated within OSU’s Animal Disease Diagnostic Lab, which was also continuing its mission of diagnosing animal diseases.

When the first human specimens were tested for COVID-19 on April 1, the lab effectively doubled the testing capacity of Oklahoma. It remains the most productive COVID-19 testing lab in the state, testing more than 125,000 specimens to date.

Kenneth Sewell, OSU’s vice president for research, said the new location means longevity and the ability to expand the lab’s capacity and its focus as the pandemic evolves.

“The move gives us the ability to scale our response to meet the needs of the state,” he said.

Health care providers and county health departments typically submit between 600 and 1,600 samples daily except Sundays. The lab has the capacity to run 2,000 tests per day. Most results are returned within 24 hours. In the three weeks since the move, the lab has tested more than 16,000 specimens.

MEDIA CONTACT: Shannon Rigsby | Public Information Officer | 405-744-9081 | shannon.rigsby@okstate.edu