UW’s lab needs more pipettes for coronavirus testing
The University of Washington labs, where much of the COVID-19 testing is being done for the state, announced a pipette shortage Friday.
The UW virology lab tweeted that it needs help restocking its pipette supply.
“This is critical to public health, and we are working to ensure a steady stream of needed supplies,” the tweet said.
A pipette is a narrow tube used to measure or transfer fluids. The lab needs “Roche Magnapure filter tips,” the email said. Laboratories and researchers are asked to pitch in.
The clinical virology lab is completing more than 1,600 tests a day, with capacity up to 2,500 daily tests. The virology lab said it expects to ramp up to 5,000 tests a day. The Department of Health’s state laboratory tests about 400 samples a day.
Division head Keith Jerome said the shortage is not hindering the lab’s ability to process the current volume. Media relations for UW Medicine declined to answer how many days supply of pipettes the lab currently has.
