Index Entries

March 19, 2020
World Health Organization (WHO)

"Interim guidance"

"Background

This document provides interim guidance to laboratories and stakeholders involved in COVID-19 virus laboratory testing of patients...

Laboratory testing guiding principles for patients who meet the suspect case definition

... Rapid collection and testing of appropriate specimens from patients meeting the suspected case definition for COVID-19 is a priority... 

Laboratory testing for COVID-19 virus...

Laboratory-confirmed case by NAAT in areas with established COVID-19 virus circulation: In areas where COVID-19 virus is widely spread a simpler algorithm might be adopted in which, for example, screening by rRT-PCR of a single discriminatory target is considered sufficient...

Viral culture: Virus isolation is not recommended as a routine diagnostic procedure."

document
COVID-19,pathogen isolation,polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing issues