Public Health England (PHE) has produced guidance on the samples required for establishing a diagnosis of COVID-19 acute respiratory disease (ARD) and how to request testing. Important recommendations include the following:
- Isolate the patient in a single occupancy room, preferably a respiratory isolation room and ideally under negative pressure.
- As a minimum, wear a correctly fitted filtering facepiece 3 respirator, gown, gloves and eye protection.
- Clinical criteria for suspected COVID-19 are as follows:
- Severe ARD requiring hospital admission with clinical or radiological evidence of pneumonia or acute respiratory distress syndrome;
- Acute respiratory infection of any severity, including at least one of shortness of breath (difficult breathing in children) or cough (with or without fever); or
- Fever with no other symptoms.
- Samples required for initial diagnostic testing: combined viral nose and throat swab, a viral nose swab and a viral throat swab combined into one pot of viral transport medium, a single swab used for throat then nose or a nasopharyngeal aspirate in a universal transport pot; lower respiratory tract sample (sputum), if obtainable, in universal container.
- Label each sample with ID, date of birth and type of sample.
- Use the specific form for requesting COVID-19 ARD testing (E28), one form for each sample.
- Samples should be sent for testing to the designated regional laboratory.
- All samples for COVID-19 testing should be packaged and transported in accordance with Category B transportation regulations and labelled ‘Priority 10’.
- UN 3373 packaging must be used for sample transport.
