Mayo Clinic Laboratories delivers during COVID-19

Apr 20, 2021 | Jennifer O'Hara | @jenohara

Medical Laboratory Professionals Week: April 18 - 24, 2021, is the perfect time to recognize the remarkable work of clinical laboratory professionals, especially during COVID-19 and as Mayo Clinic Laboratories celebrates its 50th anniversary.
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Mayo Clinic Laboratories has performed over 3 million COVID-19 tests.

"In December 2019, there was a disease, and three months later, everyone in the country — and around the globe — wanted a test to see if they had the disease," says Dr. William Morice II, president of Mayo Clinic Laboratories. "With COVID-19, we've learned the importance of laboratory testing and diagnostic medicine in health care, both in the U.S. and globally."

Dr. Morice says professionals are needed in laboratory medicine, who understand the technology and the science but also who understand the human need.

"One of the strong memories for me was being in the lab late at night, and getting an email from a Native American tribal leader saying, 'We need help,'" says Dr. Morice.

In this Mayo Clinic Q&A podcast, Dr. Morice speaks about the commitment, agility and resiliency of laboratory staff during COVID-19, the collaborations and partnerships with academic and private labs, and the future of testing as more COVID-19 variants emerge.

To practice safe social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic, this interview was conducted using video conferencing. The sound and video quality are representative of the technology used. For the safety of its patients, staff and visitors, Mayo Clinic has strict masking policies in place. Anyone shown without a mask was recorded prior to COVID-19 or recorded in an area not designated for patient care, where social distancing and other safety protocols were followed.

Read the full transcript.

Connect with others talking about the pandemic and supporting one another in the COVID-19 support group.

Information in this post was accurate at the time of its posting. Due to the fluid nature of the COVID-19 pandemic, scientific understanding, along with guidelines and recommendations, may have changed since the original publication date.

For more information and all your COVID-19 coverage, go to the Mayo Clinic News Network and mayoclinic.org.