How Supply Chain Issues Have Impacted Laboratories

Author: Dena Standley

The COVID-19 pandemic has influenced every part of our personal and professional lives. Early in the pandemic, the number of laboratories able to perform COVID-19 testing was constrained in many locations due to staffing restrictions or a shortage of reagents. These problems still exist today, but as the pandemic continues to beleaguer the medical profession worldwide, supply chain problems have brought new difficulties that extend far beyond COVID-19 testing. Access to all facets of diagnostic testing is threatened by shortages of specimen tubes, personal protective equipment, and other typical laboratory consumables.

The entire impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the world is still being evaluated. Since the onset of the initial shutdowns in March 2020, the adverse effects on commercial sectors, including travel, entertainment, and healthcare, in addition to the human cost, are still being felt to this day. Lab managers have made numerous changes in terms of the supplies they buy and the money they spend on medical research facilities.