The Laboratory Diagnosis of Coronavirus Disease 2019- Frequently Asked Questions

Ferric C Fang; Samia N Naccache; Alexander L Greninger

doi:10.1093/cid/ciaa742

The Laboratory Diagnosis of Coronavirus Disease 2019- Frequently Asked Questions

Clin Infect Dis. 2020 Dec 31;71(11):2996-3001. doi: 10.1093/cid/ciaa742.

Authors

Ferric C Fang^{1

2

3}, Samia N Naccache⁴, Alexander L Greninger¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Laboratory Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, Washington, USA.
² Department of Microbiology, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, Washington, USA.
³ Department of Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, Washington, USA.
⁴ Microbiology, LabCorp Diagnostic Laboratories, Seattle, Washington, USA.

Abstract

Diagnostic testing has played and will continue to play a major role in the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. The ability to detect severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in respiratory secretions is essential to determine when an individual is infected and potentially infectious to others. Viral detection is used for the identification, management, and isolation of individual patients. Viral detection is also used to determine when the virus has entered a community and how rapidly it is spreading. As communities attempt to reopen following periods of shutdown, the detection of both SARS-CoV-2 and specific antibodies that recognize the virus will become increasingly important as a means to assess infection and immunity in individuals and communities. Here, we discuss questions commonly asked by clinicians about COVID-19 diagnostic testing.

Keywords: COVID-19; PCR; SARS-CoV-2; clinical microbiology; serology.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

COVID-19 Testing
COVID-19*
Clinical Laboratory Techniques
Humans
Pandemics
SARS-CoV-2