COVINGTON, Ky. — As the COVID-19 delta variant spreads, a Northern Kentucky business is doing its part to help the country stay healthy and safe.
Gravity Diagnostics used to have 45 employees and a 7,000-square-foot lab, and they handled about 15 COVID-19 samples a day. Now they have over 400 employees and a 70,000-square-foot lab and they process about 27,000 samples a day, according to CEO Anthony Remington.
Out of those employees, Remington said six full-time employees in the lab have PhDs, and they have been helpful to track and monitor the spread of the delta variant of COVID-19.
"They've been kind of surprised to see how quickly delta has taken over," he said. "So it is definitely a surge in delta. That is definitely real."
Remington also said he wants his company to be a service to the community, and the focus has always been on ICU patients and those in nursing homes.
"If you have 100 people in your hospital and you don't know who has COVID and who doesn't, if you can find out the same day or the next day, it helps make better decisions quicker, and that's always been our focus," he said. "Testing and getting results the day we get the sample has a value."
Gravity Diagnostics offers free drive-thru COVID-19 testing in the parking lot of 302 W. 4th St. in Covington from 6 a.m. to 1p.m. The company plans to extend these hours from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. within the next week.
Have you had trouble finding a Covid-19 test? What about one that gives you results the same day? And is free! We're live with the scoop on where to go and how many tests are being processed each day (it's growing!) @WCPO pic.twitter.com/RwttoIY3uS
— Ally Kraemer (@AllyKraemer) August 16, 2021