> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://med-techinsights.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # How has diagnostics changed since COVID? And what lessons can we learn? - URL: https://med-techinsights.com/how-has-diagnostics-changed-since-covid-and-what-lessons-can-we-learn/ - Published: 2025-03-18T09:26:08.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-22T08:09:00.000Z - Description: It’s been almost five years since the first COVID-19 lockdown, an event which transformed the diagnostics industry. What’s changed since then? And are there lessons the industry can learn for confronting future challenges? David Roberts, Managing Director of Tecman Manufacturing, explains. For most - Author: Oliver Johnson - Tags: Insights, Medical Device Manufacturing ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/98/19/9819191a-690e-400b-bf27-720adfd33f45/content/images/2026/10/12068-mti-website-square-image-29.png) ###### *It’s been almost five years since the first COVID-19 lockdown, an event which transformed the* [*diagnostics*](https://med-techinsights.com/tag/diagnostics/) *industry. What’s changed since then? And are there lessons the industry can learn for confronting future challenges? David Roberts, Managing Director of* [*Tecman Manufacturing*](https://www.tecman.co.uk/your-industry/manufacturing?ref=med-techinsights.com)*, explains.* --- For most people, March 2025 marks five years since they were forced into a life of social distancing, working from home, and test and trace. Memories of this time for those in the diagnostics industry are quite different. COVID-19 was a once in a generation transformational event for the sector, forcing all involved to rapidly scale up manufacturing to deliver millions of lateral flow tests. The phrase ‘necessity is the mother of invention’ has never been more true. From supply chain through to manufacture, manufacturers like Tecman looked at every process to ensure that our operation was as efficient and effective as possible. When change happens so quickly, it can be difficult to fully assess its impact at the time, so looking back and taking stock afterwards is important. As a middle ground between the instantaneous and the long term, the five-year milestone is a good time to do this. This is especially true as the industry has another important mountain to climb – making diagnostics sustainable. With the COP 30 conference in Brazil this November, stakeholder pressure to develop and deliver sustainable products at scale is only going to increase. The nature of many medical products means they are single use and so not sustainable. This is an obvious challenge, and one that means manufacturers need to look at material selection and manufacturing efficiency as a way of strengthening their supply chain sustainability. At Tecman, we’ve been developing innovative solutions to tricky challenges for three decades. Our bespoke approach, outside the box thinking, and in-depth knowledge of materials have allowed us to solve intractable problems and deliver technical solutions for a range of challenges in diagnostics manufacturing. Here are our key takeaways from the pandemic, and some lessons which will help the industry to thrive in the future. ###### What Changed During the Pandemic? ***Quality manufacturing at speed and scale*** The pandemic raised the diagnostic industry’s bar very high, very fast. In a matter of days demand for home testing increased exponentially, requiring suppliers to produce quality, reliable COVID tests at both a speed and scale never achieved before. The industry responded by streamlining its processes, procuring new materials and creating new delivery networks. By January 2022, [1.7 billion lateral flow tests](https://www.gov.uk/government/news/people-with-a-positive-lateral-flow-test-no-longer-required-to-take-confirmatory-pcr-test?ref=med-techinsights.com) had been distributed across the UK. ***How was such a radical overhaul of the system possible in such a short amount of time?*** Necessity, compounded by public and governmental pressure, gave many in the industry the strength of will needed to make radical efficiencies and changes which otherwise would not have been made. This shift of mindset unlocked potential and enabled innovation which would never have happened without the pandemic. The changes were bespoke to each manufacturer, but most streamlined their production process to increase their efficiency. Common approaches included the introduction of technology, the removal of unnecessary operators, and the improvement of just in time supply chain management. Willingness to use new, and often more effective, materials was also important. With regular supplies unavailable, material specialists like Tecman discovered, tested and used new and innovative mediums to deliver product on time. ***Perceived increase in value by the public*** Perhaps the most significant of all the post-COVID changes. The public began to take a much more active interest in the industry during the pandemic, and has continued to pay close attention to major developments in the sector. This means more scrutiny on how the industry operates, which, while tricky to handle, can be a healthy way of maintaining standards, an an instigator of further innovation. The attention the industry has received has also increased the perceived value of our work, attracting increased government support and private investment. In 2022, there were [over 20 deals](https://www.morganlewis.com/pubs/2024/01/medtech-and-diagnostics-market-2023-trends-and-2024-outlook?ref=med-techinsights.com) in the sector worth over 100 million USD, a substantial jump from pre-COVID numbers. This has declined since, but numbers remain well above pre-pandemic levels. With more capital invested in diagnostics comes more opportunities for sector growth and development, which can only be a good thing for encouraging innovation and reducing lead times. ###### What lessons can we take? **Quality, speed, scale: you can have it all** “You can’t have it all” is a phrase we hear a lot in manufacturing. The diagnostics industry’s response to the pandemic proved it’s not true. If there’s enough will to make change and cooperation between different parties in the supply chain, from product development to distribution, quality product can be delivered at speed and scale. This is more important in diagnostics than most industries, as quick development and distribution can make a major difference to patient diagnosis and therefore to patient outcomes. ***The public are still watching, and they’re expecting results*** Increased public attention on diagnostics has lingered post-pandemic. This should be seen as a call to action by the industry. The public are expecting results, and they want us to continue delivering them. The pandemic may have been five years ago, but the can-do, innovative attitudes it curated lingers on.