COVID-19: Information for Healthcare Professionals
As the world leader in diagnostic information services, Quest is committed to fast action on emerging health threats for which laboratory testing can provide critical insights to aid in the response.
Quest Diagnostics is receiving COVID-19 specimens and performing testing. Testing is available nationally.
| Turnaround time for COVID-19 testing is typically 4-5 days from the time of specimen pick-up, but can vary due to high demand. We are introducing new prioritization efforts in partnership with hospitals and health systems across the nation to expedite turnaround time for in hospital patients and symptomatic hospital healthcare workers within 2-3 days. Please contact your Quest representative to obtain the turnaround time at your specific laboratory location or for more information around COVID-19 testing. |
To meet the growing demand of our healthcare providers and patients, Quest Diagnostics has been rapidly expanding testing capacity by adding:
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The Quest Diagnostics lab-developed test (LDT) to many of our other high-complexity laboratories including Chantilly, VA and Marlborough, MA. This test has been authorized by FDA under an EUA for use by authorized laboratories.
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A high-throughput, FDA-Emergency Use Authorized Roche Diagnostics test for COVID-19, which is now available.
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With the Roche test (test code 39444) now available broadly, customers should be ordering the Roche test when submitting upper respiratory specimens. The Roche platform provides high-throughput automation, which will enable us to provide more testing capacity. For lower respiratory specimens, including bronchial lavage/wash (BAL), nasopharyngeal aspirate/wash, tracheal aspirate, or sputum, customers can still must order the LDT (test code 39433) for those specimen types.
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Both tests codes available can utilize the nasopharyngeal (preferred) and/or oropharyngeal specimen types.
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Quest Diagnostics patient service centers are not accepting patients with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 and are not collecting specimens for COVID-19 testing. The personnel at these centers are trained in collecting a range of specimens, including blood and urine, for various medical health conditions, but not respiratory specimens for COVID-19 or other respiratory illnesses such as influenza. Quest recommends concerned individuals contact their healthcare provider directly about COVID-19 testing. Quest is accepting and performing testing on COVID-19 specimens submitted by healthcare providers across the United States.
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Capacity: Quest Diagnostics has rapidly expanded testing capacity with the addition of both the Roche Diagnostics high-throughput test and the Quest Diagnostics lab-developed test (LDT) running simultaneously in many of our laboratories across the country. This expansion in testing capacity will allow us to perform approximately 30,000 tests a day by the end of March furthering our ability to meet the growing demand of our healthcare providers and patients.
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The Quest Diagnostics and the Roche tests have not been FDA cleared or approved;
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These tests have been authorized by FDA under an EUA for use by authorized laboratories;
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These tests have been authorized only for the detection of nucleic acid from SARS-CoV-2, not for any other viruses or pathogens; and
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These tests are only authorized for the duration of the declaration that circumstances exist justifying the authorization of emergency use of in vitro diagnostic tests for detection and/or diagnosis of COVID-19 under Section 564(b)(1) of the Act, 21 U.S.C. § 360bbb-3(b)(1), unless the authorization is terminated or revoked sooner.