Press Release: Epidemic Response Laboratory Discovers First Case of Omicron in New York City

Rapid turnaround time and genomic surveillance capabilities support detection of new COVID-19 variants

New York, NY – December 3, 2021: Today, the Pandemic Response Laboratory (PRL), a division of Opentrons Labworks Inc., reported the discovery of the first four cases of Omicron in New York City. The news was announced Thursday night by Gov. Kathy Hochul and Mayor Bill de Blasio. [1] This emphasizes the importance of rapid, accurate testing and sequencing as part of mitigation strategies to further contain the spread of new variants of concern.

"PRL is committed to a coordinated response with public health officials in the fight against COVID-19," said PRL CEO Jonathan Brennan-Badal. "We have established multiple CLIA trials across the country. infrastructure to prepare for surges and support safe return to work initiatives.”

To date, PRL’s molecular PCR tests continue to accurately detect SARS-CoV-2 and its known variants, including Omicron. In addition, PRL's unique massively parallel next-generation sequencing platform enables rapid sequencing of PCR-positive tests, allowing variant identification at the population scale for epidemiological surveillance.

Since the onset of the pandemic, PRL has demonstrated its leadership as a laboratory partner of choice by delivering consistently high-quality, technologically advanced, low-cost services designed to improve patient outcomes. PRL has processed more than 5 million COVID-19 tests and processes more than 30,000 tests per day.

About Opentrons Labworks, Inc

Opentrons Labworks develops integrated laboratory platforms that serve life sciences and healthcare customers through its Opentrons Robotics, Pandemic Response Labs (aka PRL), Neochromosome and Zenith AI subsidiaries. For more information, visit pandemicresponselab.com.

Reference

[1] Transcript: Mayor de Blasio, Governor Hochul update New Yorkers on Omicron variants. The official website of the City of New York. https://www1.nyc.gov/office-of-the-mayor/news/801-21/transcript-mayor-de-blasio-governor-hochul-new-yorkers-the-omicron-variant. Release date: December 2, 2021. Accessed: December 2, 2021.