Strategies and Experiences of the Small Laboratory to Cope with the Mass Nucleic Acid Test of SARS-CoV-2.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 outbreak, which began in late 2019, continues to ravage the globe and has become the greatest threat to human health. As nucleic acid test is the primary means of screening for COVID-19, this makes the laboratory the most important node in the epidemic prevention and control system. METHODS: As a small laboratory in the hospital, we can meet a large number of demands for nucleic acid test by optimizing staff process, strictly disinfecting experimental batches and changing experimental methods. RESULTS: Through the improvement of the above aspects, our daily maximum detection quantity has been increased from 256/day to 1,012/day. Besides, none of the medical staff has been infected. And there have been no nosocomial infections. CONCLUSIONS: Nucleic acid laboratories, especially small laboratories, should promptly adjust their strategies in the face of unexpected outbreaks and conduct risk assessment in accordance with laboratory activities.