COVINGTON, Ky. — A Northern Kentucky coronavirus testing lab is rapidly expanding.

Gravity Diagnostics has not only increased the processing of testing samples but also added more personnel, including interns, to help meet demand.

About two months ago, the Covington-based lab gained approval from the FDA to test for the virus.

Now, they’ve added 30 interns to help with prep work while many other companies are on hiring freezes.

“I originally had to plan to have a pharmacy tech position at a hospital nearby but due to COVID-19 their hiring, was on a freeze,” said Shannon Saelinger, an intern and recent college grad.

It’s Saelinger’s third time interning at the facility. When her pharmacy tech plans didn’t pan out, she reached out to the Chief of Staff Alison Wimmers at the lab.

“We have been able to help students around the surrounding area about 6 colleges,” Wimmers said.

Wimmers explains that previously their small company hired only a handful of interns.

“We normally have about 5 to 6 interns on staff. During COVID (-19) we’ve been able to increase that to 30 interns on staff which is been a great opportunity for them to learn and bring new ideas to the company,” Wimmers said.

Saelinger isn’t the only intern growing her skillset.

Alan Ford and Nick Petroze are part of the team of interns assisting with prep work to test samples.

“It’s kind of interesting how a lot of summer internships have been canceled but then this popped up for us and we’re able to start helping out right away which we really appreciated it,” Ford, a junior at Thomas More University. 

In three months, Gravity Diagnostics has processed more than 120,000 COVID-19 samples and that number increases daily.

The lab is also in the early stages of creating an area to process antibody tests.