CENTOGENE Expands COVID-19 Testing Capacity at Frankfurt Airport
- CENTOGENE has opened an expanded sampling area, next to the existing Walk-In COVID-19 Testing Facility, allowing significant increases in COVID-19 testing sampling capacity
- Innovative digital solutions continue to support the fight against the novel coronavirus with a customer-friendly testing experience
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. and ROSTOCK, Germany and BERLIN, Sept. 10, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Centogene N.V. (Nasdaq: CNTG), a commercial-stage company focused on rare diseases that transforms real-world clinical and genetic data into actionable information for patients, physicians, and pharmaceutical companies, announced today that the company has expanded its SARS-CoV-2 testing capacity at Frankfurt Airport to continue supporting safe travel for passengers as international borders open amid the new normal.
Passengers flying to or from Frankfurt Airport with Lufthansa will be able to perform the test at the new expanded sampling center conveniently located near the main terminal. This can either be completed the day before traveling or with a fast track solution the same day before departure. All results are delivered to the passenger via a secure digital platform. Additionally, passengers can opt into an ID confirmation service, assuring authorities that the passengers’ identities correspond with the test results.
CENTOGENE’s Frankfurt COVID-19 Testing Facility will also be available to anyone wishing to get tested, whether they are travelling or not. The Company believes that a fully digitized system, which now includes integration with the Corona-Warn-App, is the only way to efficiently provide testing that reaches travelers in a way that is easily accessible. The entire process is supported by an innovative digital workflow, which allows customers to easily register, order, and download reports via their smartphone or computer.
“We believe that widespread testing is the only path to a new normal. With this in mind, even though the German Ministry of Health has ended the free testing for returning travelers, which was established during the summer travel period, we believe that preventative testing provides a solution to safe air travel in the months to come. In response to the growing demand, we have worked together with Lufthansa and Fraport to expand our existing sampling area at Frankfurt Airport. The increase in testing capacity allows us to provide the most convenient option for travelers. Thanks to the latest technology and innovation, this expansion has happened rather smoothly, and we are committed to continuously supporting the safe reopening of air traffic and the prevention of further outbreaks,” said Dr. Volkmar Weckesser, CENTOGENE’s Chief Information Officer.
“We see that testing is becoming increasingly important for international travel. We are therefore very pleased that we have been able to expand the test capacities at Frankfurt Airport together, with our partners CENTOGENE and Fraport, and are now able to offer a separate area for our passengers of Lufthansa Group Airlines. There will also be a fast track for our premium customers,” adds Dr. Björn Becker, Senior Director Product Management Ground & Digital Services Lufthansa Group.
"As an airport operator, we have been able to collaboratively create a seamless test infrastructure in Frankfurt within a very short period of time. This system has proven itself in recent weeks – even on peak days with almost 10,000 tests per day. The expansion of capacities is an important step to make air travel safe at Germany's largest airport," added Alexander Laukenmann, Head of Airside and Terminal Management, Corporate Safety and Security unit at Fraport AG.
A Complete Testing Solution
CENTOGENE’s SARS-CoV-2 test is a molecular diagnostic test performed for the in vitro qualitative detection of RNA from the SARS-CoV-2 in oropharyngeal samples from presymptomatic probands and probands according to the recommended testing by public health authority guidelines. The test has also been validated in CENTOGENE's CAP / CLIA / ISO certified analytical laboratory and has received Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use by authorized laboratories. The samples are taken by medically trained personnel using a CentoSwab™, a CE-labelled two-component dry plastic swab for oropharyngeal swab sampling. The samples are then brought to a CENTOGENE laboratory for testing. Test results are delivered to the travelers via CENTOGENE’s SARS-CoV-2 Test Portal – a secure digital platform following stringent data privacy measures in compliance with the current specifications of GDPR (German Data Protection Regulation ‘Datenschutzgrundverordnung’) and Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).
Please also visit https://www.centogene.com to see the latest testing statistics from Frankfurt airport or for further information.
About CENTOGENE
CENTOGENE engages in diagnosis and research around rare diseases transforming real-world clinical and genetic data into actionable information for patients, physicians, and pharmaceutical companies. Our goal is to bring rationality to treatment decisions and to accelerate the development of new orphan drugs by using our extensive rare disease knowledge, including epidemiological and clinical data, as well as innovative biomarkers. CENTOGENE has developed a global proprietary rare disease platform based on our real-world data repository with approximately 3.0 billion weighted data points from over 530,000 patients representing over 120 different countries as of March 31, 2020.
The Company’s platform includes epidemiologic, phenotypic, and genetic data that reflects a global population, and also a biobank of these patients’ blood samples. CENTOGENE believes this represents the only platform that comprehensively analyzes multi-level data to improve the understanding of rare hereditary diseases, which can aid in the identification of patients and improve our pharmaceutical partners’ ability to bring orphan drugs to the market. As of March 31, 2020, the Company collaborated with 39 pharmaceutical partners covering over 45 different rare diseases.
Important Notice and Disclaimer
This press release contains statements that constitute “forward looking statements” as that term is defined in the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including statements that express the Company’s opinions, expectations, beliefs, plans, objectives, assumptions or projections regarding future events or future results, in contrast with statements that reflect historical facts. Examples include discussion of our strategies, financing plans, growth opportunities and market growth. In some cases, you can identify such forward-looking statements by terminology such as “anticipate,” “intend,” “believe,” “estimate,” “plan,” “seek,” “project” or “expect,” “may,” “will,” “would,” “could” or “should,” the negative of these terms or similar expressions. Forward looking statements are based on management’s current beliefs and assumptions and on information currently available to the Company. However, these forward-looking statements are not a guarantee of our performance, and you should not place undue reliance on such statements. Forward-looking statements are subject to many risks, uncertainties and other variable circumstances, such as negative worldwide economic conditions and ongoing instability and volatility in the worldwide financial markets, the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on our business and results of operations, possible changes in current and proposed legislation, regulations and governmental policies, pressures from increasing competition and consolidation in our industry, the expense and uncertainty of regulatory approval, including from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, our reliance on third parties and collaboration partners, including our ability to manage growth and enter into new client relationships, our dependency on the rare disease industry, our ability to manage international expansion, our reliance on key personnel, our reliance on intellectual property protection, fluctuations of our operating results due to the effect of exchange rates or other factors. Such risks and uncertainties may cause the statements to be inaccurate and readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such statements. Many of these risks are outside of the Company’s control and could cause its actual results to differ materially from those it thought would occur. The forward-looking statements included in this press release are made only as of the date hereof. The Company does not undertake, and specifically declines, any obligation to update any such statements or to publicly announce the results of any revisions to any such statements to reflect future events or developments, except as required by law.
For further information, please refer to the Risk Factors section in our Annual Report for the year ended December 31, 2019 on Form 20-F filed with the SEC on April 23, 2020 and other current reports and documents filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). You may obtain these documents by visiting EDGAR on the SEC website at www.sec.gov.
For further questions about SARS-CoV-2 tests at Frankfurt Airport, visit:
Phone: +49 (0) 381 - 80113 700
Media Contact: CENTOGENE Ben Legg Corporate Communications press@centogene.com FTI Consulting Bridie Lawlor +1.917.929.5684 bridie.lawlor@fticonsulting.com