Dr. Pedati talks to legislators.
The state medical director says the State Hygienic Lab in Iowa City will be getting test kits for Covid-19, the coronavirus that has spread to more than 30 countries.
Dr. Caitlin Pedati says those kits should arrive in one to two weeks. “We continue to speak with representatives from our State Hygienics Lab every day for updates,” Pedati says. “…They’ve assured us that they are familiar with the protocol. They’re anticipating eagerly the receipt of these kits and they’re ready to validate it when they get it.”
Currently, only the Centers for Disease Control and a dozen other labs in the country have the capability to test for the virus. Pedati testified for nearly an hour before a state senate committee, answering questions about the outbreak.
“While the risk here in Iowa is low — and it is — we want to acknowledge that situations like this or viruses like this do have the potential to spread,” Pedati says.
Listen to Pedati’s full presentation here