Infographic: Safety Guidelines and Precautions for Handling COVID-19 Specimens in Clinical Diagnostic Labs

July 15, 2020

A major challenge in the control of COVID-19 is its detection. Rapid testing of COVID-19 specimens is needed at a mass level for early detection, and in turn, for a check on virus spreads. The risk of transmitting coronavirus is significantly high when working with COVID-19 specimens. Whether your diagnostic facility is expanding services to test COVID-19 specimens or you are setting up a new COVID-19 diagnostic testing facility, you need to follow biosafety guidelines specified by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to minimize risks. The infographic delineates some of the guidelines for safe handling of COVID-19 specimens in COVID-19 diagnostic testing laboratories.

Guidelines for Recruiting & Training Staff

• Hire staff experienced in handling infectious disease specimens.
• Recruit individuals with an educational background in biological sciences, biomedical sciences, chemistry, or biotechnology.
• Conduct training to make staff competent in handling COVID-19 specimens, operating analytical equipment, and periodically monitor staff performance.
• All staff must have good verbal communication skills so that they can explain the specimen procurement protocol to patients and obtain signatures for informed consent forms (ICF) for diagnostic testing.

Download the infographic to learn more.