Confronting the COVID-19 Pandemic: A View from the Laboratory

A retrospective review of salient features of the early-to-mid phases of the COVID-19 pandemic is provided from the perspective of the clinical laboratory. Lessons learned and possible improvements are opined. These include the importance of maintaining a robust laboratory infrastructure, increased public health funding, the partnership between public health and hospital/commercial laboratories, and the critical importance of sound, scientific assessment, even during a pandemic crisis.