An alternative workflow for molecular detection of SARS-CoV-2 - escape from the NA extraction kit-shortage, Copenhagen, Denmark, March 2020

Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) caused by the novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), was first detected in Wuhan, China in December 2019 and then spread worldwide in a few months [1]. There is currently a global shortage of viral nucleic acid (NA) extraction kits, which is affecting the diagnosis of an increasing number of suspected COVID-19 cases. The aim of this study was to investigate a new simplified workflow for molecular detection of SARS-CoV-2 that does not require NA extraction and could serve as an alternative in diagnostic laboratories to overcome chemical-based kit-shortages.

TELEVIR, TELE VIR, TELE-VIR