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Results Line and Enquiries

0203 313 5353

SARS CoV-2 (synonyms: COVID-19, novel coronavirus)

Category Virology
Test background

PCR test for the new coronavirus, the disease is known as COVID-19

Clinical Indications

Patients presenting with respiratory tract disease, and fulfilling the PHE criteria for testing

Reference range

Detected or NOT detected

Sample & container required Respiratory samples (NPA, nose and throat swab, BAL and ETTs). Virology swab or universal container
Sample volume 0.5 mL
Sample collection

Apply recommended Infection Prevention and Control precautions

Transport storage Standard courier
Turnaround time 24 hrs
Notes

Daily testing

This test is fully validated for clinical use. However, the laboratory is not yet UKAS accredited for this test.

When performed on the Aus Diagnostics platform, the method may include an extraction step or it may be performed using heat inactivation in place of the extraction step. Information on whether the test was run with or without extraction is held locally and is available on request.