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The Startup That's Working To Create 10K Coronavirus Test Kits a Day in L.A.

The Startup That's Working To Create 10K Coronavirus Test Kits a Day in L.A.

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Cancellations, postponements and shut downs reached new levels Thursday after California's governor asked that all nonessential events of more than 250 people be cancelled, and the director of L.A. County's Department of Public Health asked residents to distance themselves from one another as much as possible. Those advisories are taking a heavy toll on L.A.'s economy. Senior reporter Tami Abdollah looks at UCLA economists' new predictions for the city, including what coronavirus might mean for tourism, manufacturing and other industries. Contributor William D'Urso looks at the potential toll on the city's budding eSports industry. Rachel Uranga takes a look at one promising medtech startup that has just opened a facility in L.A. to ramp up production of coronavirus test kits.

Also: On Tuesday, we'll be gathering some of the best business, health and technology experts for a virtual discussion the challenges of the novel coronavirus on L.A. business and tech community. Register to join us online and let us know your questions before the session.

At a 10,000 square foot San Dimas lab, Fred Turner is furiously trying to save people from COVID-19.

The head of a Bay Area startup known as Curative Inc. arrived in Los Angeles Wednesday, on a near empty flight, as he launched a production facility to produce coronavirus testing kits. They'll be deployed to drive-thru testing centers across the United States, which National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Anthony Fauci said was severely lagging other countries in determining how widespread the virus is.

Turner's startup is "aiming to add 10,000 test per day capacity in about two weeks," he said. "We can now do 50 a day, by Monday 150, and the end of the week 1,000 a day." Read more >>

Think you're having it rough at work? UCLA Anderson analysts just hit delete on their just-released forecasts for 2020 and re-calculated expectations for the next two years.

"We tore up the forecast, we did the second one, and if we had to do it again today, we'd redo it again drastically," one senior economist told us Tuesday evening.

The updated 104-page UCLA Anderson Forecast, released early Thursday, revises their earlier forecast of 2% for real GDP growth to a low 1.5%. The report estimates the international tourism loss to be around $4.3 billion a month. There is one bright spot: housing creation. Read more >>

Parent Activision Blizzard announced the cancellation for all March and April events for the growing Overwatch League, squelching plans for two teams in one of its largest markets. But the company says the matches will still happen, just not with live audiences.

The announcement comes after the league already cancelled events in China and South Korea. Read more >>

The coronavirus pandemic's emergence has changed the world around us. Conferences have been cancelled, travel has been severely restricted, and working from home has become the norm. But less clear is the scale of the economic impact and how companies should be reacting. We rounded up are the latest headlines regarding how the novel coronavirus is impacting the Los Angeles business and tech communities. Read more >>

The coronavirus pandemic's emergence has changed the world around us. Conferences have been cancelled, travel has been severely restricted, and working from home has become the norm. But less clear is the scale of the economic impact and how companies should be reacting. Looking ahead, how should Los Angeles prepare for longer-term shifts in the market. dot.LA is convening a group of experts from varying backgrounds to discuss this new business climate.

Register for the dot.LA Strategy Session taking place on Tuesday March 17, 2020 11:00 AM PST.