Pandemic Demand for SARS-CoV-2 Testing Led to Critical Supply and Workforce Shortages in U.S. Clinical and Public Health Laboratories

Nancy E Cornish; Laura H Bachmann; Daniel J Diekema; L Clifford McDonald; Peggy McNult; Jonathan Stevens-Garcia; Brian H Raphael; Melissa B Miller

doi:10.1128/jcm.03189-20

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Pandemic Demand for SARS-CoV-2 Testing Led to Critical Supply and Workforce Shortages in U.S. Clinical and Public Health Laboratories

Journal article

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Peer reviewed

Pandemic Demand for SARS-CoV-2 Testing Led to Critical Supply and Workforce Shortages in U.S. Clinical and Public Health Laboratories

Nancy E Cornish, Laura H Bachmann, Daniel J Diekema, L Clifford McDonald, Peggy McNult, Jonathan Stevens-Garcia, Brian H Raphael and Melissa B Miller

Journal of clinical microbiology, Vol.61(7), e0318920

07/20/2023

DOI: 10.1128/jcm.03189-20

PMCID: PMC10358151

PMID: 37070976

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https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10358151View

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Abstract

COVID-19 has brought unprecedented challenges to clinical and public health laboratories. While U.S. laboratories have continued striving to provide quality test results during the pandemic, the uncertainty and lack of supplies became a significant hurdle, hindering day-to-day laboratory operations and the ability to increase testing capacity for both SARS-CoV-2 and non-COVID-19 testing. In addition, long-standing laboratory workforce shortages became apparent, hindering the ability of clinical and public health laboratories to rapidly increase testing. The American Society for Microbiology, the College of American Pathologists, the National Coalition of STD Directors, and the Emerging Infections Network independently conducted surveys in 2020 and early 2021 to assess the capacity of the nation's clinical laboratories to respond to the increase in demand for testing during the COVID-19 pandemic. The results of these surveys highlighted the shortages of crucial supplies for SARS-CoV-2 testing and supplies for other routine laboratory diagnostics, as well as a shortage of trained personnel to perform testing. The conclusions are based on communications, observations, and the survey results of the clinical laboratory, public health, and professional organizations represented here. While the results of each survey considered separately may not be representative of the entire community, when considered together they provide remarkably similar results, further validating the findings and highlighting the importance of laboratory supply chains and the personnel capable of performing these tests for any response to a large-scale public health emergency.

Details

Title: Subtitle: Pandemic Demand for SARS-CoV-2 Testing Led to Critical Supply and Workforce Shortages in U.S. Clinical and Public Health Laboratories
Creators: Nancy E Cornish - Center for Surveillance, Epidemiology, and Laboratory Services
Laura H Bachmann - National Center for HIV/AIDS Viral Hepatitis STD and TB Prevention
Daniel J Diekema - University of Iowa
L Clifford McDonald - Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Peggy McNult - American Society for Microbiology
Jonathan Stevens-Garcia - American Society for Microbiology
Brian H Raphael - National Center for HIV/AIDS Viral Hepatitis STD and TB Prevention
Melissa B Miller - University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Resource Type: Journal article
Publication Details: Journal of clinical microbiology, Vol.61(7), e0318920
DOI: 10.1128/jcm.03189-20
PMID: 37070976
PMCID: PMC10358151
NLM abbreviation: J Clin Microbiol
ISSN: 0095-1137
eISSN: 1098-660X
Language: English
Electronic publication date: 04/18/2023
Date published: 07/20/2023
Academic Unit: Infectious Diseases; Internal Medicine
Record Identifier: 9984398208902771

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