Roche is struggling to deliver diagnostic tests for the coronavirus to large Chinese cities after Chinese officials closed borders to try to slow down the outbreak, Bloomberg reported.
Roche, the largest manufacturer of diagnostic equipment, introduced its commercial test for coronavirus to speed efforts monitoring the spread of the virus.
The number of people with the coronavirus is rising so quickly in China that labs that can screen for it are overwhelmed. Without being able to diagnose patients properly, hospitals aren't sure who to quarantine and who to send home.
Roche's test can diagnose the disease within a couple of hours if it is done in a properly staffed lab, according to Bloomberg.
As the death toll from the virus has risen to 170 and more than 8,000 known cases have been reported, Roche told Bloomberg it is working with Chinese authorities to get shipments of its tests through as quickly as possible.
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