LifeLabs Completes Over 1.5 Million COVID-19 Molecular Tests

Toronto, ON (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) - LifeLabs is pleased to announce its latest milestone in COVID-19 molecular diagnostic testing, completing over 1.5 million tests for Canadians and their health care providers.

“I continue to be impressed by the resilience and perseverance our teams demonstrate every day to meet the ever-changing demands imposed by this pandemic,” said Charles Brown, President and CEO of LifeLabs. “It is thanks to their ingenuity and agility that we continue to successfully adapt our operations over and over to meet the growing demand for testing. Thank you to everyone for their incredible hard work.”

As millions of Canadians wait for their COVID-19 vaccine, testing for the virus has become more critical than ever with new variants of the virus, as well as rising cases and hospitalizations throughout the country. In tandem with scaling up operations to accommodate greater demand for testing, LifeLabs’ Quality & Regulatory Affairs (QRA) team regularly goes above and beyond to ensure quality is met in all areas of lab operations, and to achieve the utmost accuracy by maintaining the Quality Management System.

“Our labs operate in alignment with some of the highest standards for quality and competency in medical laboratory diagnostics,” said Haleh Bahrami, VP of Lab Operations. “We carry multiple accreditations including ISO 15189 from Accreditation Canada Diagnostics (formally the Institute for Quality Management in Healthcare) and Diagnostic Accreditation Program Accreditation from the College of Physicians and Surgeons of British Columbia.” In addition, our Medical/Scientific and QRA teams use their expertise and experience to select and evaluate diagnostic technologies that meet the best practices of the industry and requirements of the provincial health authorities. These thorough quality processes continue to be a crucial component in our expansion of the operations to support COVID-19 testing across different markets.”

LifeLabs continues to build its support for COVID-19 testing in various capacities with initiatives such as:

• Partnering with Multiplex Genomics to significantly expand Canada’s capacity to test and track COVID-19 and its variants. As shared in a recent media release, through this joint effort, LifeLabs and Multiplex Genomics will be able to analyze 20,000 COVID-19 samples a day, with plans to grow to 50,000 by mid-2021.
• Expanding the FlyClear™ by LifeLabs® program in British Columbia and to the Ottawa region in Ontario, which offers COVID-19 PCR (polymerase chain reaction) / NAAT swab testing and Antibody (serology) testing to anyone who has to travel. As COVID-19 continues, many airlines or countries now ask for proof of COVID-19 clearance within a specific timeframe or window. With FlyClear™ by LifeLabs®, travellers will receive their results within 24-48 hours.
• Supporting asymptomatic COVID-19 testing in Ontario schools. As shared in a recent media release, LifeLabs will operate hub collection sites for COVID-19 testing for asymptomatic students and their family members, teachers, and staff in Ontario schools. At designated locations, participants will be tested on a voluntary basis using either PCR or rapid antigen testing. LifeLabs will work with the school boards and schools to schedule the hub collection site visit.

For more information about LifeLabs’ response to COVID-19 and testing, visit lifelabs.com

About LifeLabs
LifeLabs is Canada’s leading provider of laboratory diagnostic information and digital health connectivity systems, enabling patients and health care practitioners to diagnose, treat, monitor, and prevent disease. We support 20 million patient visits annually and conduct over 100 million laboratory tests through leading edge technologies and our 6,000 talented and dedicated employees. We are a committed innovator in supporting Canadians to live healthier lives, operating Canada’s first commercial genetics lab, and the country’s largest online patient portal, with more than 5 million Canadians receiving their results online. LifeLabs is 100% Canadian owned by OMERS Infrastructure, the infrastructure investment manager of one of Canada’s largest defined benefit pension plans. Learn more at lifelabs.com.

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