Australian health authorities ask universities to hunt down coronavirus testing material

Health authorities have privately asked Australian universities to search their campuses for material that could be used to prevent Covid-19 testing shortages.

Brendan Murphy, the chief medical officer, has warned of “extreme pressures” on Covid-19 testing kits, swabs, and the chemical reagents used to extract the genetic material critical to the testing process.

Australia has now conducted more than 160,000 Covid-19 tests, a relatively high number compared to other nations.

Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/mar/25/australian-health-authorities-ask-universities-to-hunt-down-coronavirus-testing-material