.svg?iar=0&hash=F6049510E33E4E6D8196C26CCC0A64A4){kind=logo}
/hfh-logo-main--white.svg?iar=0&hash=ED491CBFADFB7670FAE94559C98D7798){kind=logo}
Related News
More than One Million COVID-19 PCR Tests Performed
From manually testing 30 samples in three hours in March of 2020—to eventually performing 2,500 tests a day during the pandemic’s peak—Henry Ford Health’s Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine has now administered more than 1,000,000 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) COVID-19 tests—a meaningful milestone for the organization and all who’ve played a part in keeping the community safe.
“We now have rapid PCRs that can be done in 20 minutes, so we’ve come a long way,” said Linoj Samuel, PhD, Microbiology Division Head at Henry Ford Health. “On one hand, it is very sobering – the toll the pandemic has taken on our community, our people, and on the institution itself, but it is also a tangible measure of all the work that’s been put in and of what we’ve done as a healthcare solution for our community.”
Testing for COVID-19 is now easy and widely available, from at-home swabs to drive-ups at pharmacies. But it wasn’t always that way. When the coronavirus was brand new and spreading fast, for many, it was a frightening and uncertain time. The microbiology lab at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit was the first hospital lab in Michigan to develop reliable testing protocols for the virus. Lab technicians were working around the clock.
“We were literally working day and night,” said Dr. Samuel, who recently reflected on the journey his team took during the pandemic—as well as the milestone millionth PCR test. “We had people staying here working double shifts and they were volunteering to stay here and work on this. It was about getting this done as quickly as we could. And you could see the samples as they went positive. We knew it was here but seeing it in front of your eyes was shocking.”
Dr. Samuel said he and his team had to get creative – using 3D-printed swabs from a company in Dearborn at one time and pulling people from other labs to administer tests. He said the collaboration was nothing short of extraordinary.
“We received support from entrepreneurs and other hospitals, and we supported them. Labs across Henry Ford Health pulled together, and they provided staffing and product support,” he said. “Our staff really stepped up and came together, and the support of Henry Ford leadership was critical in terms of getting us what we needed under exceedingly difficult circumstances. It was really an unprecedented collaboration of groups to make this work. I am incredibly proud.”
Although the declared Public Health Emergency (PHE) expired last month, Dr. Samuel said he and his team are still seeing people who are getting severely ill with COVID-19 across the 15 Henry Ford locations that still regularly conduct testing—about 700 tests a day—and we all have to be ready for what’s next.
“We also don’t completely understand the implications of ‘long covid,’ so I think we need to be careful about taking a lax approach to the virus,” said Dr. Samuel. “We still need to take appropriate precautions – like vaccinations, and strategic planning as a country. How well-prepared are we for the next pandemic?”
###
MEDIA CONTACT: mediarelations@hfhs.org