Novel Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Plan- fbg-2

BEFORE transport of specimen to Princess Margaret Hospital Microbiology lab, notification of Dr
Jessica Edwards (Microbiologist) or Mr Allison Scavella (Microbiology Supervisor) for further
referral is required.
Deliver all specimens by hand. Do not use the pneumatic-tube systems to transport
specimens within the hospital/institution.
Specimens should be placed in a durable, leak-proof secondary container for transport within a
facility. To reduce the risk of breakage or leaks, samples should be hand delivered to the lab and
received by the institution identified lab personnel.
Specimens being locally transported to the PMH lab should be packaged in a leakproof secondary
container with ice packs, then place into a rigid outer package.
Specimen Testing
Respiratory specimens should be walked down to the lab and be given to a pre-identified
Microbiology staff member. The specimen will be immediately placed in the respiratory bin of the
Microbiology refrigerator at 2 - 8°C. Processing of the nasopharyngeal or oropharyngeal specimens
will begin within two hours of receipt of the specimen. A routine viral screen including the
influenza screen and RSV will be done and reported within one hour (see SOP). A positive viral
respiratory result does not preclude additional work-up for COVID-19. Because coinfection is
possible, specimens will also be sent to the CDC or the National Reference Lab for confirmation of
presence of COVID-19 by RT-PCR.
From the 3mL VTM tube, aliquot 0.5ml of VTM into a separately labelled tube to be transferred to
the National Reference Lab. Aliquot 2.0mL into another empty labelled sterile tube which will be
transferred to the CDC. The remaining 0.5mL will be stored in the -70C freezer in the Microbiology
lab. Urine will be stored at -70°C for future use.
Contact the Surveillance unit of the Ministry of Health for a special SU number for tracking to
accompany the appropriately completed surveillance form which will be transported to the
National Reference Lab. The appropriate CDC Person Under Investigation form and the 50.34
must be filled out to accompany the specimens to the CDC.
Packaging and Transport of Specimens Outside of the Hospital
In accordance with the IATA regulations, the package should be packed accordingly for Category B
biological specimens and shipped to both the CDC and the National Reference Lab.
Specimens should be stored and shipped at 4°C using ice packs or they may be frozen. Shipped
specimens will be triple packaged according to International Air Transport Association (IATA)
standards for Category B biological material as in illustrated in Figure 1 below.
For patients outside of New Providence and Grand Bahama, refer to the Department
of Public Health for registration, collection and transport protocols.
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