This story has been updated to include additional information about the tests being performed.
NEW YORK — Clinical genomic testing company Sema4 said on Monday that it has signed an agreement with Connecticut to provide SARS-CoV-2 viral and antibody testing to state residents including state employees, first responders, long-term care facility residents, and patients requiring care at primary care facilities.
Under the arrangement, Sema4 will perform testing using PerkinElmer's New Coronavirus Nucleic Acid Detection Kit, which is designed to detect SARS-CoV-2 nucleic acid in oropharyngeal swab and nasopharyngeal swab specimens, and Abbott Laboratories' SARS-CoV-2 IgG assay, which detects immunoglobulin G antibodies against the virus in serum and plasma. The tests have received Emergency Use Authorization from the US Food and Drug Administration.
To aid in the management of back-to-work programs, the Stamford, Connecticut-based company will also offer access to a digital platform that includes portals for registering employees, tracking samples, and reporting results to providers, patients, employees, and the state.
Sema4 said it has been collaborating with Connecticut authorities since April to perform thousands of SARS-CoV-2 viral tests for around 30 health care facilities in the state, and that it is currently ramping up its testing capacity with the goal of being able to perform 10,000 viral tests daily by early June and 5,000 antibody tests per day by the end of the month.
The firm added that its CLIA-certified lab currently accepts saliva, nasal swab, and oral swab samples collected by healthcare providers or at authorized collection sites, and that it will soon start accepting saliva collected at home. Sema4 noted it has submitted its saliva collection method to the FDA for EUA.
Testing is offered with no out-of-pocket costs to Connecticut residents, it said.