Test center in overdrive to tackle COVID-19
Team overcomes difficulties and develops strategies to handle workload
At the beginning, we had few ideas about what to do and were not certain about our test results. Gradually, we developed our own sets of scientific and rigorous work modes, which have been utilized by many hospitals.”
When the fight against COVID-19 started last year, Wuhan, capital of Hubei province, was not the only city that had to overcome the traumatic outbreak. Medical workers in many cities, including Dalian, Liaoning province, were also thrust onto the front line of the battle.
“Working at the clinical laboratory used to be relatively relaxed. We seldom worked overtime. But that steady and unspectacular routine went forever with the outbreak of the COVID-19 epidemic,” said Wang Bo, 52, director of the clinical laboratory of Dalian Municipal Central Hospital.
Since Jan 17 last year, when Liaoning’s first COVID-19 case was identified at the hospital’s fever clinic, Wang and his colleagues have been working at full capacity.
Last year, the team tested more than 1.5 million nucleic acid samples — with zero infection rates among staff members and no faulty test results reported.
At its peak, the team’s daily testing capacity reached 35,000, with the testing machines running 24 hours a day and the medical staff working around the clock.
Wang said he had prepared to encourage those who were used to the laid-back atmosphere to move at full steam ahead or to appease those with negative moods.
“But I haven’t found any need to do so. No one has complained to me or made any demands,” he said.
On July 22 last year, Wang’s team identified the first positive sample as the virus resurfaced in Dalian. All the members sacrificed their rest — some didn’t sleep for two or three days, while others only took naps on camp beds in the lab.
“Although the hospital provided temporary dormitory rooms, some of us chose to stay at the lab to save time,” Wang said.
Based at Dalian’s largest public hospital, the nucleic acid testing
team grew rapidly as the northeastern port city fought COVID-19.
When the hospital selected backbone medical workers from different
departments to form its first nucleic acid testing team in April last year, only five members were qualified to conduct nucleic acid
tests, and the daily testing capacity was 800 samples.
Now, almost all 63 members of the laboratory’s professional and
technical staff are qualified to conduct the tests, according to Wang. He said part of the reason the team is able to respond successfully to unexpected challenges one after another is because all the members can endure hardship and are willing to study hard.
“At the beginning, we had few ideas about what to do and were not certain about our test results. Gradually, we developed our own sets of scientific and rigorous work modes, which have been utilized by many hospitals,” he said. “We are able to jointly undertake double identification of suspected cases in conjunction with Dalian’s disease control and prevention center.”
Wang attributed the growth in test numbers partly to the leadership of the hospital’s Party committee, which gave top priority to epidemic prevention and control and also supported the team in terms of finding new personnel and equipment.
In July last year, Liaoning’s first cube laboratory for nucleic acid testing was put into operation at Dalian Municipal Central Hospital. It took just 48 hours to set up.
The hospital also set up a molecular detection center and purchased four sets of rapid nucleic acid testing equipment, meaning people can get the result of their test in less than three hours.
“Looking back at our way of fighting the novel coronavirus, what has impressed me most is the spirit of the Chinese people working together as one. That’s true in our laboratory, and it’s true across the country,” Wang said.
Wang Bo, director of the clinical laboratory of Dalian Municipal Central Hospital