As part of ongoing efforts to manage and control COVID-19 on its campuses, IU has started operating its own labs for COVID-19 testing, resulting in faster results and cost savings. The new labs, located in Bloomington and at IUPUI, will ultimately be able to conduct 25,000 tests per week, with turnaround time likely 24 hours or less, according to the latest message from IU President Michael A. McRobbie.
Staff work with a variety of technologies to analyze thousands of mitigation tests per week. Robots handle and process the saliva samples, enabling the lab to determine if genetic material from the virus is in the sample. If genetic material is detected, the test is positive. If not, the test is negative for COVID-19.