SARS-CoV-2

Overview
Department	Microbiology – Molecular
Test Code	TCOV
Synonyms	COVID-19 SARS-CoV-2 Novel Coronavirus 2019-nCov
Base Lab Availability	Monday - Friday, Testing routinely available out of hours
Hawera Lab Availability	Monday - Friday, 8am to 4 30pm
Turnaround Time	2 – 24 hours from receipt  Results may be delayed out of routine business hours. Urgent requests will be prioritised
Stability – Add test	Add-ons can be made if an appropriate sample has already been received for other PCR testing within one week of specimen collection.
Specimen Requirements
Specimen	Swab
Preferred	Nasopharyngeal swab in VTM (Viral transport medium)
Acceptable
Unacceptable
Specimen Transportation	ASAP to Laboratory
Paediatric Requirements	Paediatric nasopharyngeal swab in VTM (Viral transport medium)
Aliquot Requirements
Sample
Preferred Volume
Minimum Volume
Aliquot Transportation	If there is a delay in getting sample to the laboratory, please store sample chilled (2 - 8 degrees Celsius)
Clinical Information
Reference Intervals	Results will be reported as Novel Coronavirus RNA PCR DETECTED or NOT Detected.  Ct values are available on request. Specimens that fail for technical reasons will be tested by another platform or a repeat sample requested, this will mean a delay in results
Test Method	Real-time RT-PCR test on the GeneXpert analyser for the qualitative detection of nucleic acid from the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Note if a “QUAD” swab is requested then Influenza A + B, RSV, and SARS-CoV-2 are tested.
Advanced Notice	Not required
Patient Preparation	To minimise inhibition in the assay, please ensure the patients blow their nose prior to taking a nasopharyngeal swab.
Comments
Influenza A/B and RSV, Full Respiratory Multiplex and Bordetella pertussis PCR may be carried out on the same nasopharyngeal swab. Please note: Testing of the full respiratory multiplex assay does not have the same turnaround time as the Influenza A/B, RSV test as the sample is forwarded to a reference laboratory.

Owner	Melanie Williams (Williams1)
Last reviewed	24.12.2025
Next review	24.12.2026 (OK)