The COVID-19 pandemic: Role of the medical virology laboratory

Abstract

The SARS-CoV-2, agent of the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), is a member of the Coronaviridae family leading to severe acute respiratory illness. It is enveloped RNA virus. WHO declared the outbreak of Covid-19 as a pandemic on 11 February 2020. After the emergence of the outbreak in the world and in our country, COVID-19 virology laboratory has been designed and diagnostic tests have been established for the early diagnosis of the SARS-CoV-2. The routine diagnosis of COVID-19 is achieved by the detection of viral RNA in clinical samples using the nucleic acid amplification tests like real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The rapid diagnosis during the early phases of the infection is critically important for the isolation of the patients and for the development of preventive measures to control the infection in the community. In this context, after the emergence of the pandemic, different diagnostic techniques (real-time PCR tests, rapid antibody tests, and ELISA tests) have been used for the early diagnosis of COVID-19 in our hospital. In this paper, we want to emphasize the role and importance of the medical laboratories for the diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2, for tracking of the patients, and for epidemiologic studies during COVID-19 pandemic.