The University of Arizona announced Tuesday that it is partnering with the state to provide antibody testing of the coronavirus.
In a joint press conference with Gov. Doug Ducey and others, UA President Bobby Robbins said the university’s virologists already created 60,000 tests for any of its faculty, students and staff who want one.
When asked last month by Ducey if the number of blood tests was scalable, Robins responded in the affirmative and added today, “We’re happy to partner with the Governor’s Office to expand testing up to 250,000 people. We think we can do that within a month. We’ll be ready to go sometime next week, at the latest May 1.”
Ducey said the serology tests, which still need FDA approval, will be earmarked for state health care professionals and first-responders.
UA will conduct the tests using blood samples that show who has been infected with the novel coronavirus.
