PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
In the Time of COVID-19, We Persevere
Public health laboratory staff
have displayed remarkable drive,
dedication and resourcefulness
in meeting the challenges posed
by this viral foe and have shown a
willingness to do whatever it takes
to get tests done.”
Grace Kubin, PhD
When I wrote my last column in late
January, we were preparing to test for
SARS-CoV-2 as we awaited the release of
the CDC EUA assay. That time seems far
distant from our current reality. Was there
really life before COVID-19?
My COVID-19 workday routine begins with
a two-floor descent into a nuclear-era
bunker that serves as Texas’ emergency
control center. I can’t say that I’m a fan
of my subterranean workplace, but my
daily stair workout gives me a minute or
two to think, and lately I’ve been thinking
a lot about how impressed I am with my
colleagues at public health laboratories.
Public health laboratory staff have
displayed remarkable drive, dedication
and resourcefulness in meeting the
challenges posed by this viral foe and
have shown a willingness to do whatever
it takes to get tests done, whether that
means working seven days a week or
bartering with another state for viral
transport media. For ingenuity and sheer
grit, public health laboratory professionals
cannot be beat.
At our laboratory, I see these qualities
at close range. For example, early in the
outbreak when we were using the CDC
EUA assay and reagents for that test were
scarce, Dr. Rachel Lee came into my office
and announced, “We have an opportunity
to implement a test that does not use any
of the reagents in the CDC EUA assay.”
Thanks to her, we switched to the new
test, which proved both specific and
sensitive. Then, to make sure that no CDC
test kits sat on a shelf unused, we sent
our remaining kits to other Texas public
health lab partners, which were still
running the CDC EUA assay.
Staff also have to adapt to new schedules
and assignments. When we brought up
a rapid extraction platform, it increased
our test output, but also made social
distancing within the laboratory more
difficult. No matter how you organize your
workflow, staff need access to instruments
to do their work. We decided to go to an
extended day schedule to ensure that only
one person was at a biosafety cabinet at
any time, and, since we are fortunate to
have a large facility, we expanded COVID
testing into other areas of the laboratory.
This was feasible since testing volume in
other departments has declined during
the pandemic, and this decline allowed
us to reassign microbiologists from these
departments to COVID testing.
So many others have stepped up to help
in this response. Hats off to all of the
public health laboratory directors who
have come together in an unprecedented
way to assist one another. A single post
on ColLaborate brings rapid answers
distilled from years of experience. And a
big Texas shout out to our state’s public
health partner laboratories for their hard
work and support. Thanks also to an
unusually diverse group of new partners.
Dell, for example, helped us to analyze our
supply sourcing operation to improve the
process. Such partnerships hold promise
for future collaboration.
Of course, I cannot forget APHL, which
deserves major kudos for its ability to
bring technical and human resources
to the table to get our issues addressed.
Because of APHL, we have been able to
speak directly with key decision makers
who can make a difference in resolving
the challenges we face. APHL staff have
been on top of every issue, advocating for
our interests and keeping us apprised of
developments as they occur.
Finally, I would like to thank Joanne
Bartkus for her contributions as APHL
president, board and committee
member and as director of Minnesota’s
state laboratory. We will all miss her
insights and humor. I wish our incoming
president, Bill Whitmar, all the best and
an optimism for a COVID-less future. Let
us hope that the effects of the pandemic
will generate opportunities that will
benefit APHL members. n
2 LAB MATTERS Spring 2020
PublicHealthLabs
@APHL APHL.org