COVID-19 Sample Collection Kits Made, Delivered to Hospital
David T. Harris, PhD, (left) and Michael Badowski, PhD, (right) created with sample collection kits ready for delivery to Arizona health care providers who wish to test patients for COVID-19.
When cases of COVID-19 began to be detected in Tucson, health care providers said one of their challenges was a shortage of tests to detect if a patient contracted the virus. The University of Arizona Health Sciences Biorepository stepped in to make kits to collect samples from patients to be tested. David T. Harris, PhD, lead the effort in his laboratory, with assistance from other researchers and laboratory technicians. The group was planning to produce approximately 5,000 sample collection kits per week, and delivered 1,000 of them to Banner-University Medical Center Tucson in early April.
David T. Harris, PhD, executive director of University of Arizona Health Sciences Biorepository, holds a COVID-19 sample collection kit inside the freezer.
COVID-19 sample collection kit created by UArizona Biorepository.
David T. Harris, PhD, (left) and Michael Badowski, PhD, (right) stand in a freezer with sample collection kits ready for delivery to Arizona health care providers.
COVID-19 sample collection kits from University of Arizona Health Sciences Biorepository ready to be delivered to Arizona health care providers.
Michael Badowski, PhD, stores COVID19 test cells for more extensive research.
Michael Badowski, PhD, and David T. Harris, PhD, assemble sample collection kits in Harris’ lab in the Health Sciences Biorepository.
David T. Harris, PhD, holds up items from a sample collection kit under a serial hood.
David T. Harris, PhD, holds up items from a sample collection kit under a serial hood.
Michael Badowski, PhD, holds a test tube with a media in it for preserving COVID19 sample cells.
Biorepository laboratory techs Ayman Sam (left) and Brandon Jernigan (right) complete the final step to assemble the COVID-19 sample collection kit.
Biorepository laboratory technicians Ayman Sam (left) and Brandon Jernigan (right) complete the final step to assemble a COVID-19 sample collection kit.
Biorepository laboratory techs Ayman Sam (left) and Brandon Jernigan (right) complete the final step to assemble the COVID-19 sample collection kit.
Biorepository laboratory technicians Ayman Sam (left) and Brandon Jernigan (right) complete the final step to assemble a COVID-19 sample collection kit.
Biorepository laboratory technicians Brandon Jernigan and Ayman Sami, load boxes of COVID-19 sample collection kits to deliver to Banner-University Medical Center Tucson.
Biorepository laboratory technicians Brandon Jernigan, Ayman Sami, and Jose Camarena, load boxes of COVID-19 sample collection kits to deliver to Banner-University Medical Center Tucson.
Biorepository lab technicians use a cart to move boxes of sample collection kits to deliver to Banner-University Medical Center Tucson.
Lab Techs stand by before loading the kits into a Banner van as local media prepares to film.
Lab Techs stand by before loading the kits into a Banner van as local media prepares to film.
Lab Techs stand by before loading the kits into a Banner van as local media prepares to film.
Lab Techs stand by before loading the kits into a Banner van as local media prepares to film.
David T. Harris, PhD, discusses his work to create and deliver COVID-19 sample collection kits with three local new stations.