UCHealth has begun using a new system to process COVID-19 tests, the hospital system announced Friday.

The testing system, The Amplitude Solution by Thermo Fisher Scientific, is highly accurate and provides results faster for the PCR nasal swab tests. PCR is the gold standard for COVID-19 tests, giving the most accurate and specific results.

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Jessica Berry with UCHealth said the new testing system will allow the hospital system to expand its testing capabilities and capacity to process more tests.

This will help the hospital system to address the consistently high demand for COVID-19 tests. 

Since the pandemic began, UCHealth has processed nearly 400,000 COVID-19 tests, currently conducting thousands of tests each day across the state. 

Over 1.9 million people have been tested for COVID-19 in Colorado, according to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.

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Officials estimate that one in 40 Coloradans are currently contagious with the coronavirus.

UCHealth invested in the new testing system last month. The hospital system will be the first in the Rocky Mountain region and one of the first in the country to obtain and use the new system.