Producing more Covid-19 tests, reopening the economy

Mayo now has the capacity to do about 8,000 swabs and 10,000 blood tests for the Coronavirus a day.

Visits are mayo clinic is working around the clock to slow the spread of coronavirus.

Gov.

Tim walz says the state needs to process at least 5000 coronavirus tests a day before we reopen the economy.

Now, mayo clinic can produce that many tests and then some.

Kimt news 3's isabella basco is finding out what the healthcare giant is hoping to accomplish.

Isabella?

Live mayo now says it has the capacity to do about 8000 swabs and 1?

Thousand blood tests for coronavirus a day.

But supply shortages slowed the effort to get to this point.

There are two methods of testing for covid19.

One uses a swab..

The other is a blood test for antibodies,the presence of which suggest patients have recovered from the coronavirus.

Mayo clinic has the infrastructur e to make the tests available?

But faced a supply shortage.

Both swabs and reagents to administer the tests were in short supply.

But mayo's dr. william morice is working with vendors to improve supplies.

"because of our history because of the amount of testing we do already, we have strong relationships with a lot of these companies and a lot has been, myself personally, talking with leaders of those companies, understanding what their supply issues are, what realistically we can do and making sure we are prioritizing in some way so if we make a commitment to the state and others, we can really follow through on that commitment."

Sheriff kevin torgerson wants to test members of law enforcement as soon as possible.

"there are some situations where we do have to be in physical contact with people, obviously if we have to arrest someone, we do not have a choice to step back and do those things from a distance, we have to be up close and personal with people."

He wants an effort made to test those on thanks isabella.

Mayo clinic's goal is to be capable of performing 2?

Thousand blood tests per