Empowered Patient Podcast

Ted Karkus is the CEO of ProPhase Labs, which is in the battle to provide rapid results from PCR tests for COVID-19. While expecting a winter spike, Ted has been surprised at the record-breaking demand the latest Omicron variant has created. ProPhase Labs has recently acquired Nebula Genomics to provide whole genome sequencing direct to consumers to help guide medical treatment and educate people about diseases they may be predisposed to. Ted explains, "So, the issue with regard to turnaround times really has more to do with the number of employees you have, and it's very difficult, particularly in this environment, to find qualified lab techs, particularly in the state of New York, if not across the nation. So, we had these tremendous out-of-the-blue spike COVID incidents. The amount of testing, the request for testing went through the roof. All the labs in the country, and certainly in the state of New York, were overwhelmed." "As you can see, it's not just about the amount of time it takes to process a tes