Gov. Evers announces public-private partnership to 'double' state's COVID-19 testing capacity

MADISON — Gov. Tony Evers on Monday, March 30 announced a new public-private partnership among Wisconsin industry leaders to increase Wisconsin's laboratory testing capacity for COVID-19.

According to a news release from the governor's office, prior to this announcement, the Wisconsin State Lab of Hygiene and the Milwaukee Public Health Lab were leading the Wisconsin Clinical Lab Network labs in performing testing -- performing the majority of testing along with private labs.

The new partnership includes laboratory support from Exact Sciences, Marshfield Clinic Health System, Promega and UW Health. These organizations, along with the Wisconsin Clinical Lab Network, will now share knowledge, resources and technology to bolster Wisconsin’s testing capacity, the release said.

“The Wisconsin State Lab of Hygiene and the Milwaukee Public Health Lab should be commended for the tremendous lift they have done over the past few weeks to rapidly bring these tests online. And I want to especially extend my gratitude to the Wisconsin State Lab of Hygiene for going above and beyond to expand testing capacity within the Wisconsin Clinical Lab Network, and ensure Wisconsin does not have a backlog of COVID-19 tests,” said Gov. Evers in the release. “I also want to thank the Wisconsin Diagnostic Lab at Froedtert, Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin, Gundersen Health Systems, and Aurora Health Care for their early work and continued leadership. But even with these combined efforts, unfortunately, we know all too well that as this disease spreads there will be significant pressure on our labs to keep pace with testing.”

The release said the Wisconsin Clinical Lab Network labs have been averaging completion of 1,500-2,000 COVID-19 tests per day.

The expanded capacity from the state’s new public-private partnership is expected to double that capacity initially and continue to expand as additional platforms and supplies become available.

“Wisconsin is extremely fortunate to have these industry leaders in our own backyard,” said Gov. Evers in the release. “They are exhibiting the right kind of leadership that all Wisconsinites deserve: stepping up with innovation, cutting down superficial barriers, and doing all they can to help keep Wisconsin communities healthy.”

Residents who are seeking a COVID-19 test are still required to receive an order from a doctor. These labs are not testing sites.

“While I am excited to announce these critical partnerships that will increase our capacity to fight this outbreak in Wisconsin, there are still very real challenges to obtaining supplies of critical laboratory materials,” said Gov. Evers in the release. “The rapid spread of COVID-19 in other parts of the country and world are making these important supplies scarce, but with our new partners, and through the state’s ongoing efforts to obtain these materials from the federal government and through the private market, we are working day and night to reinforce our sources of these supplies.”

Gov. Evers moves ahead with plans to buy PPE/seeks donations

Over the weekend, Gov. Evers’ administration announced they're moving ahead with plans to buy 10,000 ventilators and one million protective masks in the fight against the coronavirus after Evers’ administration had clashed with Republican lawmakers over whether he needed their permission to make such purchases.

GOP leaders contended he already had that power after Evers gave them a bill calling for spending more than $700 million to help care for thousands of sick and jobless people in Wisconsin. Evers’ chief of staff said Saturday night, March 28 that the administration has been making smaller purchases and will now move forward with the large purchase of ventilators and masks.

"Wisconsin is competing not just with other states, but the entire world to get these supplies," said Gov. Evers Monday. "This is obviously a global crisis. We need much more."

Evers shared the following message on Twitter Sunday:

Resources to keep you informed about COVID-19

CLICK HERE to view the Milwaukee County COVID-19 dashboard.

CLICK HERE to view the latest COVID-19 totals (updated daily at 2 p.m.) from the Wisconsin Department of Health Services.

CoronavirusNow.com: A Fox Television Stations initiative to provide you with the most up-to-date national and international news on COVID-19.



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About COVID-19 (from the CDC)

Symptoms: Reported illnesses have ranged from mild symptoms to severe illness and death for confirmed coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases. These symptoms may appear 2-14 days after exposure (based on the incubation period of MERS-CoV viruses).