In the fight against COVID-19, every second counts. Lives are on the line. Medical workers are struggling to keep up with the flood of new cases. While there are certain things that cannot be rushed – social distancing, however inconvenient it may be, must be maintained for as long as the experts deem necessary – scientists are now working around the clock to create faster, more efficient methods for handling today’s terrifying pandemic.
Some of these much-needed solutions, such as a vaccine, are still far away. Perhaps the first step toward pulling this nation back together, though, is simpler: achieving faster, more accurate, and more widespread testing. Fortunately, thanks to the development of a saliva test from Rutgers University, there’s a light on the horizon – and Graphicast is proud to be helping this goal come to life through our graphite mold casting service.
How Rutgers University is Fighting the COVID-19 Pandemic
As most people have seen on the news, the current state of coronavirus testing in the United States is dire. Not only are there not enough tests to go around, meaning that the number of cases is almost certainly far higher than anyone knows, but the tests take too long, and the process of testing patients, through current methods, puts essential health care professionals at risk.
While this problem won’t be solved overnight, Rutgers University has taken a big step forward. On April 13th, it was announced that the FDA had granted emergency use authorization to Rutgers University and their collaborators, Spectrum Solutions and Accurate Diagnostic Labs, for their new, saliva-based testing approach. This method would make it possible to screen more people, put fewer health professionals at risk, and make it faster and easier to quarantine those who are infected, to prevent a wider spread.
Graphicast’s Role: Delivering Key Components
When it comes to state-of-the-art innovations, they don’t make themselves. Someone has to manufacture the components, and in a situation like this, those parts have to be made fast, efficiently, and with no snags.
Enter Graphicast. On April 17th, Graphicast moved quickly to deliver critical components to a Massachusetts-based medical equipment manufacturer, who is building the equipment needed to analyze these saliva-based tests. Getting these components delivered ensured that the equipment necessary for these breakthrough tests will be ready sooner, instead of later. By getting these components out the door and right to the people who need them, it will enable tens of thousands of people to get tested at high volumes, thereby helping flatten the curve.
Why Graphicast is Ideally Suited for this Challenge
It isn’t a coincidence that Graphicast was on this job. We have a proven track record and this graphite mold casting approach was precisely devised to deliver high-quality work, fast and efficiently. Never forget, this is the Graphicast Advantage: Better materials, better processes, and better parts, with a faster turnaround and a lower cost. These achievements are made possible by Graphicast’s proprietary casting technology, with zinc-aluminum alloy, which has all the benefits of traditional castings while shaving off excess time and costs.
If there’s one thing that the COVID-19 pandemic has proven, it’s that we are all in this together. Americans of all stripes, doctrines, and backgrounds must unify for the cause of beating back this deadly virus, and thus saving as many lives as possible. By assisting in the fight to create more widespread and effective testing, Graphicast is proud to do our part.