COPAN Streamlines Production to Yield Maximum Output of Viral Transport Kits for Collection of Upper Respiratory Samples, Including COVID-19

BRESCIA, Italy, Feb. 28, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- With the surging demand for sample collection kits for diagnosing COVID-19 and other upper respiratory tract pathogens, COPAN is concentrating its efforts on strategic items to maximize product output and supply during the ongoing surge in demand due to the novel Coronavirus outbreak.

While COPAN has a variety of preassembled kits, during this high demand for viral sample collection, COPAN encourages healthcare professionals to specify the purchase of individual strategic components that would allow for fast on-site assembly of collection kits that meet the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) guidelines. The individually orderable components are UTM™ viral transport medium (item #330C), nasopharyngeal flocked swabs (item #503CS01), and oropharyngeal flocked swabs (item #519CS01). By ordering the items separately, healthcare professionals have maximum flexibility to assemble their own kits to CDC or local guidelines and needs. As market leaders in viral transport medium and sample collection, collaborating in this way allows COPAN to serve the healthcare needs as product demand soars due to the outbreak.

"We have a production capacity of 1.2 million UTM and over 5 million flocked swab per week," Stefania Triva, COPAN Group's CEO points out, "and according to our worldwide demand, we are able to optimize our production lines. COPAN is making its best effort to align its production with the volume of orders we are receiving from national and international markets."

COPAN's full staff is committed to making a company-wide effort to continue its manufacturing activities to meet demand. "Without full commitment and sacrifices from all of my staff, we would not be able to meet this unexpected demand," says Stefania Triva. "COPAN's more than 660 members of staff, many of whom are women, without hesitation, once made aware of the Coronavirus emergency, have stepped up from five working days and two shifts to seven working days and night shifts also. At COPAN, we are a community that understands the role we play in pre-analytics. It is certainly due to our people that COPAN is able to be a reliable supplier even with a surge of demand like this," concluded Triva. 

About COPAN Group
With a reputation for innovation, COPAN is the leading manufacturer of collection and transport systems in the world. COPAN's collaborative approach to innovation in pre-analytics has resulted in the original FLOQSwabs™, ESwab™, FecalSwab™ and UTM™, as well as Full Laboratory Automation. COPAN's collection and systems have been proven to advance the quality of traditional and contemporary microbiology assays. For more information, visit www.copangroup.com.

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