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Researchers at the University of Arizona made 1,600 coronavirus test kits over the weekend amid a nationwide shortage in supplies for testing patients.
The researchers will produce an additional 3,000 to 4,000 kits in the coming week for the Pima County Health Department and the university’s Campus Health Service, said David Harris, director of the university’s Health Sciences Biorepository. The researchers can also supply Banner Health with test kits, if it needs them, he said.
The researchers worked extra hours in an assembly line to produce the kits over the weekend.
“Fortunately, our personnel at the Biorepository have several decades of experience in creating biospecimen collection kits,” Harris said in a news release Monday.
They are exactly like the ones supplied by the federal government, he said later on a conference call with media.
The test kits will come in the nick of time for the county Health Department.
Last week the county’s supplier canceled an order of several thousand test kits on the day they were scheduled to arrive, said Dr. Bob England, the department’s interim director.
The UA will provide the test kits at no charge to Pima County, at least for now, said Aaron Pacheco, a county spokesman.
The nationwide bottleneck in testing is largely due to a shortage of a couple of important components of the test kits, like swabs.
The UA researchers have enough supplies to make about 20,000 kits, Harris said, adding that Pima County has asked for 1,000 a week, a pace researchers can sustain for several months.
“This is excellent,” England said, adding that the county will go through 1,000 kits in a “heartbeat.”
Harris said he hopes the test kits will become commercially available by the time the UA researchers make 10,000 or 20,000 of them.
“If not, we’ll continue to do what we can do,” he said.
“We know the vendors. We have some back-door routes just through 30 years of contacts.”
As of Monday afternoon, Arizona’s health department reported 235 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and three deaths in the state, including the first death in Pima County, which was announced late Monday.
The wide majority of cases have been in Maricopa County, totaling 139.
Pima County has seen 25 known cases.
Photos for March 20: Tucson gets by during coronavirus pandemic
Tucson-area, Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Updated
Marina Cornelius, owner of Floor Polish Dance + Fitness, teaches her Cardio Party-o class via Periscope to her students on March 20, 2020. Cornelius says this is the first time she's trying to livestream classes and is learning as she goes.
Tucson-area, Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Updated
Marina Cornelius, owner of Floor Polish Dance + Fitness, talks to her students via Periscope before teaching her Cardio Party-O class on March 20, 2020. Cornelius says this is the first time she's trying to livestream classes and is learning as she goes.
Tucson, coronavirus pandemic
Updated
A group of friends from St. Louis enjoy their lunch along Sentinel Peak after a 40-mile bike ride on March 20, 2020. The cycling friends planned their trip to Tucson months ago and decided to keep their vacation plans. They arrived on March 1st and leave this weekend. For the past three weeks they've been cycling through Saguaro National Park, up Mt. Lemmon, Kitt Peak and The Loop. On Friday they got takeout from Seis Kitchen and their bicycle touring company set up tables and chairs for them. They felt they self-quaratined with just the six of them during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak.
Tucson, coronavirus pandemic
Updated
Ricardo and Vera Escalante say they're addicted to Pat's Chili Dogs and needed to get their fix on March 20, 2020. The pair got their order to go since bars and restaurants are barred from having customers in their facilities due to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and decided to enjoy their lunch at the top of Sentinel Peak.
Tucson, coronavirus pandemic
Updated
Khristina Hernandez puts on disposable gloves before cleaning a room at Hotel McCoy located at 720 W Silverlake Road, on March 19, 2020.
Tucson, coronavirus pandemic
Updated
Lacy Tritz prepares an order at the Downtown Dispensary located at 221 E 6th Street, on March 20, 2020. Employees are now required to wear masks at the dispensary and customers will now order at the front desk or online.
Tucson, coronavirus pandemic
Updated
A line grows outside the doors to Trader Joe's at Swan and Grant as an employee limits customers entering the store to one-out one-in, March 20, 2020, Tucson, Ariz.
Tucson, coronavirus pandemic
Updated
Banner UMC’s drive up system is for emergency room triage for a variety of illnesses and is not for random testing for COVID-19. It has been put in place to keep crowds from the ER and protect the health of patients and staff.
Tucson, coronavirus pandemic
Updated
Banner UMC’s drive up system is for emergency room triage for a variety of illnesses and is not for random testing for COVID-19. It has been put in place to keep crowds from the ER and protect the health of patients and staff.
Tucson, coronavirus pandemic
Updated
Banner UMC’s drive up system is for emergency room triage for a variety of illnesses and is not for random testing for COVID-19. It has been put in place to keep crowds from the ER and protect the health of patients and staff.
Tucson, coronavirus pandemic
Updated
Cazandra Zaragoza, center, reacts to finding out her placement for her medical residency during Match Day on March 20, 2020. Due to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), the annual Match Day event at the University of Arizona was canceled. Students received an email informing them of their placement. Zaragoza was surrounded by friends and family including her husband, Joseph Llanes, right, and her 2 sons, Ezra Zaragoza-Llanes, 7, far left and Eleazar, 10, when she found out her placement is family medicine in San Francisco. Zaragoza is one of the recipients of the Primary Care Physicians Scholarship. The scholarship paid for her last year of medical school. As part of the scholarship, Zaragoza will return to Arizona and work in an underserved or rural area.
Tucson, coronavirus pandemic
Updated
Wade Biehl, manager at Five Points Market & Restaurant, 756 S. Stone Ave., brings a takeout order to a customer outside of the restaurant on March 20, 2020. Due to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), bars and restaurants have been ordered to only offer takeout options to customers. Biehl said customers are not allowed inside the restaurant and can only call or text in their orders to limit contact with staff.
Tucson, coronavirus pandemic
Updated
Julie Swartzentruber, a server, tells a customer over the phone their dessert options at Five Points Market & Restaurant, 756 S. Stone Ave., on March 20, 2020. Due to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), bars and restaurants have been ordered to only offer takeout options to customers. Customers are not allowed inside the restaurant and can only call or text in their orders to limit contact with staff.
Tucson, coronavirus pandemic
Updated
A car turns onto a nearly empty 4th Avenue, on March 20, 2020.
Tucson, coronavirus pandemic
Updated
Sarah Lang views responses from her fifth-grade students on Google classroom at Centennial Elementary School in the Flowing Wells School District, Tucson, on March 20, 2020.
Tucson, coronavirus pandemic
Updated
Sarah Lang, teacher at Centennial Elementary School in the Flowing Wells School District, Tucson, talks to parents picking up breakfast for their kids on March 20, 2020.
