The Division of Laboratory Systems (DLS) of the Center for Disease Control (CDC) has a Laboratory Outreach Communication System (LOCS), with weekly 30-minute webinars for the public at 3 p.m. Eastern time each Monday. These webinars also serve as a gateway for the CDC to interact with US clinical laboratories. There has been representation from CDC, CMS and FDA on each call. Most recent calls are dealing with biosafety processes required for the new SARS-CoV-2 equipment, guidance on use of hospital transport systems (pneumatic tubes) with suspected samples, discontinuation of cell culture for other respiratory viruses because the cell line can harbor SARS-CoV-2 unsuspectedly, suitability of wooden swabs for molecular testing, and affirmation that the new equipment is high complexity by Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendment (CLIA) standards (not point of care testing). It’s an understatement to say that a lot is going on! Indeed there were more questions than time for answers, but this source of information is nevertheless a good starting point. Listen in to see if the question from your laboratory or facility has already been addressed. 

You can view transcripts and audio files of past calls at https://www.cdc.gov/safelabs/resources-tools/covid-19-weekly-clinical-calls.html

Get email updates from LOCS by signing up at https://www.cdc.gov/csels/dls/locs/

After that, if you still have questions or need help, please contact us.