Covid Testing Shortages Not Going Away, Public Lab Leader Warns

Expect shortages of labs supplies like pipette tips, chemical reagents, and saline to continue throughout the pandemic, a public health lab leader told reporters Tuesday.

Manufacturing strain for companies producing chemicals specific for Covid-19 tests aren’t likely to disappear anytime soon, Eric Blank, the chief program officer for the Association of Public Health Laboratories, said. The labs doing virus testing also have to compete for basic equipment with laboratories doing work unrelated to the pandemic.

“Shortages we’re seeing now are shortages that are agnostic to those tests,” Blank said. “They’re just generally essential lab supplies for any kind of testing ...