American Society for Microbiology online tool reveals massive shortages of testing supplies

The U.S. is facing shortages of several crucial COVID-19 supplies, including commercial testing kits and supplies needed for routine laboratory diagnostics, which could have ongoing implications not just for COVID-19 but for other tests as well.

The American Society for Microbiology (ASM) recently launched an online data collection tool that has helped to identify the shortages, according to a post to the ASM website. The result of the shortages is likely to be continuing delays in test results for the coronavirus.

Yet, the shortages won’t just affect coronavirus testing, according to the release. The ASM predicts “delays with other tests for common illnesses such as strep throat, urinary tract infections and sexually transmitted infections, if the demand for lab supplies isn’t met.”

“By collecting and making this data publicly available, we intend to help make critical changes to the U.S. testing strategy. ASM is committed to solving the ongoing supply shortage concerns,” Stefano Bertuzzi, ASM CEO, was quoted as saying in the release.  “Since the beginning of this pandemic, we have been working with the clinical laboratory leaders to identify ways to tackle this debilitating issue. Our goal is to identify supply shortages that are affecting day-to-day testing.”

Shortages, especially for supplies and kits specific to SARS-CoV-2, have been a problem since the beginning of the pandemic in March, according to the release. The continuing high demand has meant the supply chain hasn’t been able to catch up.

The average testing capacity of the 117 CLIA-certified labs reporting through the online tool is 41%, according to the release.

WHile 73% of those labs have coronavirus testing supply shortages, 65% are also running low on supplies for testing related to such common illnesses as strep throat, pneumonia, bronchitis and urinary tract infections, according to the release. Seventy-percent of the labs are also running short on supplies to test for sexually-transmitted diseases.