Matovic: Private Laboratories to Help Test for Coronavirus

Bratislava, March 26 (TASR) – The Association of Private Laboratories will lend a hand in order to increase the number of people who are tested for coronavirus each day, Prime Minister Igor Matovic (OLaNO) stated on Thursday.

At the same time, Matovic noted that a facility for taking samples will be set up next to every hospital.

Health Minister Marek Krajci (OLaNO) noted that mass controlled testing of all high-risk groups is being launched. “We need to test people who are due for urgent operations as well as medical personnel,” he said.

Matovic confirmed that too few tests have been carried out in the country to date and that the number needs to grow. According to Krajci, this will “bring the epidemic under control for as long as possible”.

Peter Lednicky of the Slovak Laboratories Association stated that private labs can process approximately 1,200 tests daily, noting that the figure could grow to as much as 2,000 as early as next week. Naturally, this will mean that the waiting period for test results will be cut as well.

Matovic explained that private laboratories will pick up the samples collected from the facilities next to hospitals and distribute them to all labs in the country, be they private or state.

Krajci also noted that general practitioners will be obliged to contact positively tested patients older than 65 every day, as GPs will receive such information about their patients.