COVID19

Test Code

COVID

Alias/See Also

SARSCoV2, SARS-CoV-2 Test

Preferred Specimen

Nasopharyngeal (NP) Swab in UTM viral transport media

Patient Preparation
1. Follow AHC personal protective policy, gown, glove, and use face protection when collecting specimen.
2. Collect Nasopharyngeal Swab (calcium alginate swabs or cotton swabs with a wooden shaft may not be used),

Gently insert the swab into the nostril. Keep the swab near the septum floor of the nose while gently pushing the swab into the post nasopharynx
As a visual reference, the swab should be inserted about half the distance from the opening of the patient’s nostril and the ear. Rotate the swab several times.

3. Place the swab in Universal Transport Medium (UTM, red top). Break the swab shaft at the score-line against the side of the tube. Note: the swab may alternatively be placed in Viral Culture Media (VCM, green top) for transport.
4. Label specimen per hospital policy.
5. Hand deliver the sample to the lab.

Minimum Volume

1 swab

Transport Container

UTM viral transport media (red top) or VCM viral culture media (green top)

Specimen Stability

Room temperature: 8 hours; Refrigerated: 7 days; Frozen: Unacceptable

Methodology
PCR amplification

Limitations

Performance of the Xpert Xpress SARS-CoV-2 has only been established in nasopharyngeal swab specimens. Specimen types other than nasopharyngeal swab may give inaccurate results.
A false negative result may occur if a specimen is improperly collected, transported or handled. False negative results may also occur if inadequate numbers of organisms are present in the specimen.
This test cannot rule out diseases caused by other bacterial or viral pathogens. Erroneous test results might occur from improper specimen collection; failure to follow the recommended sample collection, handling, and storage procedures; or because the number of organisms in the specimen is too low to be detected by the test.

Reference Range

Not detected

Clinical Significance

An outbreak of respiratory illness of unknown etiology in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China was initially reported to the World Health Organization (WHO) on December 31, 2019. Chinese authorities identified a novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV), which has resulted in thousands of confirmed human infections in multiple provinces throughout China and exported cases in several Southeast Asian countries and more recently the United States. Cases of severe illness and some deaths have been reported. The International Committee for Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV) renamed the virus SARS-CoV-2.

The CPT Codes provided in this document are based on AMA guidelines and are for informational purposes only. CPT coding is the sole responsibility of the billing party. Please direct any questions regarding coding to the payor being billed. Any Profile/panel component may be ordered separately. Reflex tests are performed at an additional charge.