A Houston Methodist microbiology lab that once focused on bacterial genomics research had to rapidly retool to keep up with COVID-19 testing demand.
Article Highlights
- A childhood passion for biology led Dr. Wesley Long to a career studying infectious diseases and diagnostic testing.
- Early preparation allowed Houston Methodist to quickly expand COVID-19 testing capabilities during the pandemic.
- Experts are still studying the long-term effects of COVID-19, especially for people with lingering respiratory symptoms.
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, Houston Methodist's Diagnostic Microbiology Lab, headed by Dr. Wesley Long, medical director of diagnostic microbiology at Houston Methodist, primarily focused on large-scale genomics of disease-causing organisms — typically bacteria.
As COVID-19 began spreading in China in January, Dr. Long's lab began tracking and preparing for this new virus. His team needed to be able to rapidly test for COVID-19, as well as support the potential need for large amounts of testing.
In the video above, go behind the scenes with Dr. Long to see how the lab prepared for — and adjusted to — COVID-19.
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