NORFOLK, Va. — With states reopening and people returning to work, employers are faced with a new challenge: testing for COVID-19.
“If a job site shoots up high on the positive list -- like 20, 30, or 40 people -- that is a nightmare for a company,” said Rudy Patel, president of ARCpoint Labs of Virginia Beach.
ARCpoint works with employers to test for the virus, and it is the only local lab using a rapid testing dock, approved by the FDA, called Accula.
The Accula SARS-CoV-2 Test from Mesa Biotech can return test results for COVID-19 in 30 minutes as opposed to several days, according to Patel.
This kind of accelerated testing is crucial, Patel says, because it prevents a potentially infected employee from spreading the virus while they wait for results.
But Patel, like the CDC, isn’t saying every employer needs to have testing done immediately. The costs remain high; the Accula, for example, is $195 per test.
But what the CDC does recommend is that employers start thinking about developing a testing strategy or policy in case someone does test positive in the workplace.