Ann Lab Med.  2021 Mar;41(2):225-229. 10.3343/alm.2021.41.2.225.

Surveillance of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Testing in Clinical Laboratories in Korea

• Huh HJ
• Hong KH
• Kim TS
• Song SH
• Roh KH
• Lee H
• Kwon GC

• KMID: 2512670
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3343/alm.2021.41.2.225

Abstract

In response to the ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, an online laboratory surveillance system was established to monitor severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) real-time reverse transcription-PCR (rRT-PCR) testing capacities and results. SARS-CoV-2 rRT-PCR testing data were collected from 97 clinical laboratories, including 84 medical institutions and 13 independent clinical laboratories in Korea. We assessed the testing capacities to utilize SARS-CoV-2 rRT-PCR based on surveillance data obtained from February 7th to June 4th, 2020 and evaluated positive result characteristics according to the reagents used and sample types. A total of 1,890,319 SARS-CoV-2 rRT-PCR testing were performed, 2.3% of which were positive. Strong correlations were observed between the envelope (E ) gene and RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp )/nucleocapsid (N ) genes threshold cycle (Ct) values for each reagent. No statistically significant differences in gene Ct values were observed between the paired upper and lower respiratory tract samples, except in the N gene for nasopharyngeal swab and sputum samples. Our study showed that clinical laboratories in Korea have rapidly expanded their testing capacities in response to the COVID-19 outbreak, with a peak daily capacity of 34,193 tests. Rapid expansion in testing capacity is a critical component of the national response to the ongoing pandemic.

Keyword

Coronavirus disease 2019; Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; Real-time RT-PCR; Laboratory surveillance; Testing capacity; Ct value

Figure

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  Fig. 1 Monitoring of SARS-CoV-2 rRT-PCR testing performed by clinical laboratories in Korea from February 7th to June 4th, 2020. Confirmed case numbers were derived from the KCDC data (http://ncov.mohw.go.kr/). Abbreviations: COVID-19, coronavirus disease 2019; EUA, emergency use authorization; KCDC, Korean Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; MFDS, Ministry of Food and Drug Safety; rRT-PCR, real-time reverse transcription PCR; SARS-CoV-2, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2.

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