Madison School Nurses Tour COVID-19 Lab

On November 1, 20 school nurses from the Madison Metropolitan School District toured the COVID-19 testing operations at Exact Sciences’ Discovery Campus on the city’s near west side. It was the first time these dedicated professionals got to see what happens to nasal swab-collected samples they send in for testing.

Exact Sciences began developing a COVID-19 test in the early days of the pandemic to keep its employees safe and cancer tests operational. This effort  quickly grew to include supporting local communities by providing needed testing capacity to the State of Wisconsin.

Nurses have been on the front-line since the start of the pandemic, working tirelessly to keep students and faculty safe. In fact, when Exact Sciences began processing COVID-19 tests, school nurses were among those who worked with the company and public health officials to create an efficient process for sample collection, transportation, and results reporting.

Exact Sciences has processed more than 3 million COVID-19 test results, the vast majority supporting public health efforts in Wisconsin. In the past six months alone, Exact Sciences’ teams handled more than 35,000 COVID tests for 450 K-12 schools throughout the state. Results are typically delivered within 48 hours of a sample reaching the company’s lab in Madison. Lab team members work long hours, knowing each result impacts the wellness of students, faculty, families, and communities.