Collect
Nasopharyngeal swab
Specimen Preparation
One nasopharyngeal swab sent frozen in 3.0 mL viral transport media.
Alternate Specimen
One oropharyngeal swab or NP/OP sent frozen in viral transport media.
Nasal swab sent frozen in viral transport media.
Our internal studies show that Phosphate Buffered Saline (PBS) and sterile saline do not interfere with the analytical performance of the COVID-19 assay. Liquid Amies buffer may decrease the analytical sensitivity of the assay and should be used only when other transport media are not available.
Minimum Volume
1.0 mL minimum
Transport Temperature
Frozen
Rejection Criteria
Calcium Alginate swabs, cotton swabs with wood shaft, received room temperature or >72 hours
Stability
Room temperature: Not Recommended
Refrigerated: 72 hours
Frozen: 2 weeks