Posted at 11:45 a.m.

Because staff at the JoAnne Jorgenson Laboratory in Fairfax often work behind the scenes, the critical testing they perform is not always visible.

This year, Medical Laboratory Professionals Week (April 19-25) is falling in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, during a time when our lab professionals are needed more than ever.

“The current COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted not only the need for quality public health lab testing but also the importance of having a Local Public Health Laboratory in our community ready to respond to emerging pathogens and public health threats,” said Fairfax County Health Department Director of Laboratory Services Deborah Severson.

Medical Laboratory Professionals Week is an annual recognition that honors lab professionals and pathologists who play vital roles in our community.

The Fairfax County Health Department’s Laboratory (FCHDL) is the only local public health laboratory in the Commonwealth of Virginia, providing a wide range of clinical, environmental and molecular testing in support of the Health Department’s public health clinics and environmental services. The work performed at the laboratory supports essential public health services and assists other county agencies and governmental entities in the enforcement of local, state and federal regulations.

In FY2019, FCHDL received 69,128 specimens for testing and 260,028 analyses were performed on samples, including:

49,261 clinical tests.

8,359 environmental tests.

5,284 vector tests (West Nile & Zika virus on mosquito pools and testing of ticks for Borrelia burgdorferi, causative agent of Lyme Disease).

196,688 drugs of abuse screenings.

437 rabies.

Coronavirus Pandemic

In response to the pandemic, FCHDL is filling another critical role – testing COVID-19 specimens.

According to Public Health Laboratory Scientist and Supervisor Romina Gundert Reyes, initially, all COVID-19 specimen analyses were conducted at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “Then our state laboratory came online [Division of Consolidated Laboratories (DCLS)], said Gundert Reyes. “We coordinated with DCLS by receiving the specimens, labeling, packaging and following national guidelines for shipping dangerous goods. Generally, it would take three to four days to get results.”

Securing test results in a timely manner is one tool public health can utilize to slow the spread of illness in the community. When an individual is identified as sick with COVID-19, that person must undergo isolation to keep others from getting sick. Delays in receiving test results can hamper public health efforts in keeping a community healthy.

To hasten capacity at the local level, FCHDL secured the necessary equipment and underwent the stringent protocols necessary to validate and implement molecular testing of specimens for the SARS-CoV-2 virus, the causative agent of COVID-19.

“As a CLIA* certified laboratory, we have the facilities, equipment and expertise required to perform this testing, but we needed specific supplies to process specimens,” said Erin Atkins, a public health laboratory scientist. “Since labs across the nation were coming online simultaneously, supplies were hard to come by.”

To answer the call, lab staff developed their own collection kits and, on March 26, began processing COVID-19 specimens. And because FCHDL can now process COVID-19 specimens, providers are generally notified of results the same day as testing.

“Our team of laboratory professionals responded rapidly, validating and implementing COVID-19 testing as soon as supplies became available,” said Severson.

While the Fairfax County Health Department does not conduct commercial COVID-19 testing, the agency does respond to testing needs for high–risk groups, including those living and working in long-term care facilities or other congregate settings. To date, the Fairfax County Health Department lab has processed more than 400 COVID-19 specimens.

According to Atkins, the lab has also begun accepting COVID-19 specimens from other Northern Virginia jurisdictions, including Arlington, Alexandria, Loudoun and Prince William.

“Because lab professionals often work behind the scenes, few people understand the critical nature of the testing they perform every day,” said Severson. “Their professionalism, dedication and commitment to public health is second to none.”

*Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA) certification allows laboratories to conduct testing on human specimens for the purpose of diagnosis, prevention and treatment of disease or assessment of health.