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Review
. 2022 Jun;42(2):261-282.
doi: 10.1016/j.cll.2022.02.006. Epub 2022 Mar 8.

Strategies for Scaling up SARS-CoV-2 Molecular Testing Capacity

Sanchita Das  1 , Karen M Frank  2
Affiliations
Review

Strategies for Scaling up SARS-CoV-2 Molecular Testing Capacity

Sanchita Das et al. Clin Lab Med. 2022 Jun.

Abstract

Scaling up SARS-CoV-2 testing during the COVID-19 pandemic was critical to maintaining clinical operations and an open society. Pooled testing and automation were two critical strategies used by laboratories to meet the unprecedented demand. Here, we review these and other cutting-edge strategies that sought to expand SARS-CoV-2 testing capacity while maintaining high individual test performance.

Keywords: Automation; Capacity; Molecular testing; Pooling; RT-PCR, SARS-CoV-2.

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Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Algorithms for pooled testing. The simple method is also called the Dorfman method (A). These show simple examples of only one positive (Sample #7) out of 27 samples tested. Methods C and D, in particular, would be more complex as prevalence increases and pools contain multiple positive samples.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Timeline and challenges of high-capacity testing. TAT, Turnaround time.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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