Media Coverage

Screening and testing for sexually transmitted infections (STIs) fell dramatically - even as the share of positive tests increased - during the early months of the pandemic, a new study suggests. Researchers from Penn State University and Quest Diagnostics found that testing decreased by about 60 percent for both men and women.

The coronavirus pandemic shook up the U.S. employment picture last year, but one trend persisted: a rising share of workers who test positive for marijuana. The proportion of U.S. workers who tested positive for marijuana in urine climbed higher in 2020 while the overall share of positive drug tests plateaued last year, according to Quest Diagnostics Inc.

Quest Diagnostics is working with artificial-intelligence startup Paige to try to identify new biomarkers of cancer and other diseases and develop new software products, the companies said Tuesday. Quest and Paige plan to work together to develop software products that diagnose various cancers based on the biomarkers they discover, for which the companies will seek regulatory approval.

Childhood obesity has disproportionately affected Hispanic and Black communities as a result of negative social determinants of health for years. To help address the health inequity crisis, the Social and Health Research Center (SAHRC) of San Antonio, Texas has developed an evidenced-based program using an innovative digitized curriculum designed to engage children. Quest Diagnostics is collaborating with SAHRC to bring the curriculum to schools and communities where it is most needed.

The COVID-19 pandemic caused major decreases in hepatitis C virus testing and treatment, hindering efforts to meet WHO goals for 2030, according to a study in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine. “As much as we think about 2020 as the year of the pandemic, it’s also going to be the year that we're going to remember hepatitis C,” Harvey W. Kaufman, MD, senior medical director at Quest Diagnostics and head of Quest Diagnostics health trends research, told Healio.

Ginkgo Bioworks this week said it is collaborating with Quest Diagnostics to provide COVID-19 testing for grades K-12 to support in-class learning nationwide. The Boston-based firm noted that Quest can perform 300,000 COVID-19 molecular tests daily through its network of two dozen COVID-19 testing labs, while Ginkgo's Concentric by Ginkgo platform allows schools to sign up for testing, secure data management, order supplies, integrate follow-up testing regimes, and provide support services.

While people might be able to use the terms interchangeably in day-to-day convos, there actually are differences between the terms "disease" and "infection." Technically, a disease is considered an advanced form of an infection, Damian "Pat" Alagia, MD, ob-gyn and the senior medical director for advanced diagnostics and women's health at Quest Diagnostics, tells Health.

Quest Diagnostics has extended its QuestDirect COVID-19 Testing Program to small businesses. The program, which was designed to help small businesses foster safer environments for their employees and customers using insights from easy, fast and convenient COVID-19 molecular diagnostic and/or antibody testing services, is now available for wider use.

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, workers at Quest Diagnostics are sharing what it's been like working on the front lines. Quest is a leader in diagnostic testing throughout the nation and has played a critical role during the pandemic.

Preventive tests fell sharply in the early weeks of the pandemic. Although they've started to rebound, many patients remain undiagnosed or face waits for office visits. To combat this, several insurers sent at-home colon cancer screenings kits to patients who were due for their exam. Last month, Quest Diagnostics rolled out a similar type of at-home screening. The company made its first bet in consumer-directed testing long before the start of the pandemic, when it launched an at-home STD test in 2019.