David Grant Medical Center (DGMC), Travis Air Force Base, CA, is requesting the BioFire Torch to rapidly test patients under investigation (PUIs), which would greatly improve patient care and emergency preparedness.

The BioFire Torch is a molecular diagnostic instrument that is capable of identifying infectious agents in clinical samples. The system utilizes polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to rapidly test clinical samples for the presence of specific DNA sequences that are associated with known pathogens, such as viruses or bacteria. With the rapid spread of COVID-19, BioFire has released a new respiratory test kit that can identify specific DNA sequences of the novel coronavirus.