Calling SARS-CoV-2 “the coronavirus” has created a lot of confusion. “Wait, my cat had coronavirus last year, what was that?” Or “My son was sick with a cold at last year and my doctors said it might be coronavirus. Was there coronavirus last year?” SARS-CoV-2 is a “novel” coronavirus. “Novel” means “new” or at least […]
How do patients find a blood draw service once they have a kit?
Patients who receive Galaxy’s kits often require assistance finding a service to collect the samples. The novel coronavirus pandemic has exacerbated this issue for specialty laboratory testing specifically. Many physicians have converted their practices to telemedicine and hospitals have put stricter guidelines into place, leaving patients to find other means for specimen collection. Phlebotomy is […]
What are subspecies, strains, and clades in viruses and bacteria?
On June 2, 2020, Nextstrain clarified the clade naming for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. This brings up the question: What do the terms “subspecies”, “strain” and “clade” mean, and why does it matter to you? In taxonomy (the science of naming and classifying biology), the word “clade” isn’t used only to divide a […]
New Educational Resource: Downloadable “From Cat Scratch Disease to Bartonellosis” Brochure
At the end of 2018, we launched an educational webpage designed to give an overview of bartonellosis and emphasize how the acute and chronic disease manifestations differ. The webpage has been converted into a brochure that we encourage you to share with friends, family members, colleagues, and anyone else who may be interested in learning […]
A Message from our CEO: Galaxy and COVID-19
Galaxy Diagnostics CEO/President Amanda Elam provides an update on what Galaxy is doing to care for customers, team members and the communities that we serve throughout the COVID-19 crisis. Navigating the Path from Pandemic Crisis to Business Recovery At Galaxy, our number one priority during this crisis is keeping people safe. We are focused on […]
The Infectious Dose of Pathogens and Transmission Risk
The likelihood that a pathogen will overwhelm the immune system and cause a person to become ill has to do with the dose of the exposure. Scientists have explored the dose of exposure in a variety of infectious diseases such as Lyme borreliosis and – most recently – COVID-19. Scientists are learning more about how […]