Performance of the QIAprep& Viral RNA UM Kit assay (Qiagen), an automatable method for RT-qPCR detection of SARS-CoV-2 without RNA extraction.

We evaluated the performance of the QIAprep& Viral RNA UM Kit (Qiagen) for SARS-CoV-2 detection. It displayed specificity and sensitivity required for SARS-CoV-2 RNA detection from swab transport media without RNA extraction. This method identifies accurately patients at risk of transmission while saving time and cost of extraction.