California’s newest state lab for processing COVID-19 tests was hailed as a game changer when it opened in November with the goal of turning around 150,000 tests per day by March.
But the lab, located in Valencia in Los Angeles County, remains far short of its goal, processing that number of tests each week, not daily. Commercial labs, meanwhile, are processing more than 10 times that amount.
The California Department of Public Health declined an interview request. But in an emailed statement, the department said it’s on track to continue expanding testing capacity statewide, without specifying exact targets.
—Scott Rodd, Capital Public Radio and The California Report