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Update to COVID-19 patient swabbing

November 23, 2021

Testing for COVID-19 is available through the Black Country Pathology Service (BCPS).

How a COVID-19 swab is collected and packaged is extremely important. Below is a quick ‘how to’ video that shows you the steps you need to take to safely collect and package a PCR swab for Coronavirus.

Please take the time to watch the video below and ensure you are familiar with the process.

A&E

  • COVID-19 point of care testing has not changed. These should still be tested using the orange topped primestore media and tested in A&E, using the Cobas LIAT analyser.
  • Results will automatically be sent back to Unity.
  • Once testing is complete, please send any positive samples to the lab. Ensure each sample is double bagged into clear specimen bags and that the outer bag is labelled as ‘Positive LIAT Samples from A&E’.
  • All negative samples can be discarded into clinical waste, after test has been reported.

Ward Areas

  • All COVID-19 tests should now be requested using the ‘COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2) PCR’ Unity order
  • For urgent requests, once the swab is collected in the red topped viral transport media, place this into a clear specimen bag and seal. This should then be placed into the second larger clear zip locked specimen bag, which must then be placed into a purple urgent bag.
  • Post this into the Red COVID MediBin labelled ‘Urgent’ outside Pathology
  • Urgent samples are processed by Biochemistry and available between 8am and 8pm. If there are any other urgent requests outside of these times and have been agreed by consultant, then these should be processed as point of care test in A&E.
  • Please do not call the laboratory for the result as these will be available on Unity once processed.
  • Please note that specimens will only be processed if they are received in the laboratory within 2 hours of collecting the sample from the patient. It is therefore important that the time of collection is accurate. Any samples outside of this 2 hours window, will be processed as routine COVID tests and results will usually be available within 24 hours of receipt in the lab.
  • All routine swabs are requested and collected in the same way as for urgent. The only difference being that they should be sent in a blue Microbiology bag and posted through the Green COVID drop off bin outside of Pathology.

Please do not post any other samples in to these collection boxes, other samples should be deposited through the hatch outside pathology.