Reply to Testing for COVID-19 in US: “Tests are being rationed”, and outlook for the future

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]
One issue they are having right now is that they have enough tests but no RNA extraction kits from Qiagen. I used to do those in my lab, so I know the procedure. RNA extraction is a step in preparing the patient samples for the Covid-19 test. The lack of RNA extraction kits means that samples cannot be prepared for Covid-19 testing, hence the backlog. Qiagen is ramping up production, but it will take a while.

State labs said they could buy other RNA extraction kits from different suppliers, but that this would mean their staff needed some time to be trained on the new kits. Which is ridiculous, given the urgency. I didn't have that kind of leisure given to me at my university.
 
So just because most media sources don't drill down to identify where issues are in the multistep process that is Covid-19 testing, it doesn't mean that this process is easy and simple. It's not. There are many reagents, many supplies, many places in the chain that can pose problems. It's not just "here's a WHO or CDC box with test tubes, everything you need is here".

[/quote]

That’s very informative, thanks for the information.

I saw some portable test kit claiming getting results in 15 mins https://youtu.be/Ww-o0stl3zQ

I wonder if the US can design or import something similar as initial screening, at least people can get some reassurance from the results. The current situation put many people in the limbo, not just people who might be infected, but other people who need medical resources for other diseases, and hospital visit for healthy people. I saw a news report, an old man was denied hospital visit of his dying wife because of changed rule during pandemic, he was crying that he may not have last word with her.[/quote]

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