Joel Erdmann is not that kind of Ph.D. The South Alabama athletic director holds a doctorate in sports management—not molecular science.
But even he understands the importance of the latest advancements in COVID-19 testing. In fact, he’s anxiously awaiting the arrival of a toaster-sized testing machine that will produce results within 15 minutes and cost half the rate of a standard PCR test.
He’s not alone. Roughly half the athletic directors in the Sun Belt are waiting on the same. Conference schools say they spent a combined $500,000 to $1 million on testing kits to pair with the six-pound Abbott ID NOW machines.