The Synevo medical laboratory chain plans to open 30-40 new points in 2021.
“We continue opening our branches in the regions, and the situation with COVID-19 has not influenced this in any way. In 2021 alone, we plan to open 30-40 new points in Ukraine,” Commercial Director of Synevo Mykola Skavronsky said in an interview with Interfax-Ukraine.
According to him, in big cities Synevo opens branches on its own, in small ones – using franchise agreements, “franchisees open outlets according to our standards.”
He also said that “the main problem of regional development is, oddly enough, the lack of suitable premises.”
Synevo Laboratory has launched a specialized COVID center in Kyiv to conduct a complex of research on COVID-19, investments in it exceeded EUR 300,000.
According to a press release from the company, the Synevo COVID Center includes a high-tech laboratory for performing COVID-19 tests by PCR, as well as a specially equipped department for customer service and sampling for coronavirus disease research.
“The COVID-19 epidemic is gaining momentum, and the demand for mass testing of the population is growing every day. Given the expected scale of testing, we have decided to open a specialized COVID center with a separate laboratory that will specialize exclusively in PCR testing for COVID-19,” Mykola Butenko, the director for development at Synevo, said.
The company plans to soon launch PCR testing in other branches throughout Ukraine.
“For now, the test can be passed in the COVID center in Kyiv. It is located at 2/58 Pivnichna Street. But, very soon, we plan to launch testing in most branches throughout Ukraine,” press secretary of the company Viktoria Ilinska said on Facebook.
PCR testing for COVID-19 at the Synevo COVID center will be performed using reagents from BAG Diagnostics (Germany).
In addition, from November, Synevo plans to launch tests on automatic equipment and reagents from Abbott (the United States).
The Synevo medical laboratory plans to launch innovative rapid tests for detecting the COVID-19 antigen declared by WHO in Ukraine in the coming weeks.
Mykola Butenko, the director of development at Synevo, told Interfax-Ukraine that at present, the company has brought an experimental batch of Austrian-made tests to Ukraine and is finishing their “internal” testing.
“Next week, we are already waiting for the delivery of these tests to launch testing for customers. The first delivery will be about 8,000 systems. If necessary, the manufacturer is ready to fully cover the needs of our network for these test systems, so tests will be performed across the entire Synevo network in Ukraine,” he said.
According to Butenko, the test manufacturer is a well-known Austrian company that specializes in the production of rapid tests for laboratory diagnostics. The test systems have passed clinical trials and are certified according to international standards.
“The huge advantage of these rapid tests is that their sensitivity is 97%, and the result will be ready in 15-30 minutes. Therefore, the use of such test systems for the COVID-19 antigen allows mass screening testing in a short time, which is very valuable in the conditions of uncontrolled growth of the epidemic,” he added.
The cost of the declared express tests for COVID-19 antigen in the Synevo network is about UAH 800.
Ukraine’s Revel Laboratory is switching their 3D printers to print valves for artificial lungs ventilation machines due to a lack of them amid the coronavirus disease COVID-19 pandemic, the co-founder of the company, David Stavnitser, wrote on his Facebook page.
“Tough times require innovative solutions. That is why Revel Laboratory is switching all its 3D printers to the production of valves for artificial lungs ventilation machines. Our Italian colleagues, Isinnova, came up with this solution. Such a valve allows connecting two patients to one lungs ventilation machine,” he said.
According to him, the company has already contacted the Italian colleagues and will soon receive technical specifications and 3D models of the required valves.
Revel Laboratory asks hospitals experiencing interruptions in the supply of valves or which need additional supplies to contact them, as well as manufacturers of plastic for 3D printing, which can deliver Nylon P12 (1.75 or 2.85 mm) approved for use in medicine.
