Covid-19 test backlogs stemming from lab supply manufacturing snags are expected to continue despite the billions of dollars Congress is pumping into testing programs.
Part of the $48.7 billion that Congress set aside for testing and contact tracing under the latest Covid-19 relief law will likely go toward domestic production of pipette tips and other supplies that have been difficult to get during the pandemic. But even with the extra funds, there’s still a limited number of companies with the expertise and capacity to make those products, lab officials and supply chain consultants say.
“Money can’t buy more of stuff that’s not there,” said Peter Kyriacopoulos, chief policy officer for the Association of Public Health Laboratories. “Money can help, but it is a dynamic situation and I’m not sure whether the fact is hugely the money or whether the effect is due to the demand as the situation changes.“
Covid-19 testing demand has slowed recently. But lab officials worry it will spike if hot spots emerge this summer as states reopen faster than the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends.
And demand is high for pipette tips and plastic wells, which hold liquids and are needed for almost every type of lab work—including testing for sexually transmitted disease or screening newborns for illnesses. Pipette tips and micro pipettes are on the Food and Drug Administration’s device shortage list.
White House officials are aware of the U.S.’s over-reliance on global plastic production. The money is intended to address that problem, but whether the onshoring process will be fast enough to meet testing needs is unclear.
We(Suzhou ACE Biomedical Technology Co.,Ltd) now have sufficient production capacity to fully meet the pipette tips needs of customers.
Post time: Sep-14-2021