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QHC begins on-site testing for COVID-19

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Quinte Health Care laboratory staff are now performing coronavirus testing, cutting much of the wait for results and adding another layer of readiness for an expected second wave of infection.

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On-site testing began Aug. 17 for patients in the emergency and inpatient units. Tests are performed in the regional medical microbiology laboratory at Belleville General Hospital.

“It’s a more local response,” Kerri Choffe, QHC’s director of diagnostic services and infection control, said in a telephone interview.

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In-house testing is relatively rare within neighbouring centres. Local samples collected previously had been sent to Kingston Health Sciences Centre, with results available within the same day. Inpatient testing is also available at Peterborough Regional Health Centre.

Choffe said the capability was made possible by the arrival of new equipment and “an incredible team effort” by staff. An extra 15 hours of weekend shift time was added.

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She said about 150 tests had been performed by Monday.

“We average between 20 and 25 a day,” said Choffe.

Results are now available in as little as four hours of a sample arriving in the lab, she said, though it may take as long as 12 hours depending on various factors. At present, testing is limited to the day shift seven days per week.

Less delay in testing means faster treatment and isolation of positive cases and less uncertainty for patients, Choffe said.

“It’s a molecular diagnostic and that’s something we’ve never had at QHC before,” said medical laboratory technologist Danielle Lalonde. She demonstrated the process during an Intelligencer tour of the lab.

When staff work at the usual microbiology bench, she said, “You’re looking at the bacteria. You’re seeing what’s growing in the sample.”

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But in molecular testing, such as that for COVID-19, “more skill” is involved, said Lalonde.

The technologist extracts the patient’s ribonucleic acid, or RNA, from the sample. It’s analyzed by software which Lalonde said can “detect four different genes associated with COVID-19.”

Lalonde said it’s exciting to be part of the response to the pandemic.

She also said announcements related to testing don’t always mention lab workers. Lalonde noted they don’t receive pandemic pay, but the new testing does underscore the important of such workers.

“We’re kind of the hidden profession,” she said.

“Now people realize we’re an important part of the diagnostic team.

“It’s good to know that we’re needed.”

Laboratory workers sometimes worry about job security, she said, because it’s the type of role which could be outsourced.

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The arrival of molecular diagnostics here “means we’re going to be around for a while,” said Lalonde.

There’s already talk of expanding testing to include oncology, surgery, and health care workers.

Chief of staff Dr. Colin MacPherson said QHC’s capacity is about 400 tests per day.

Should COVID-19 cases spike, said Choffe, QHC has the ability to handle much more testing, including those from public assessment centres. But she said that would be a decision made in consultation with Hastings Prince Edward Public Health and the Ontario Ministry of Health.

President and chief executive officer Mary Clare Egberts said provincial officials decide who performs testing of samples taken at assessment centres. But if the hospital lab were to do them, MacPherson said, there’s a chance it would mean faster results for the public as well.

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“We don’t have a surplus of staff,” said Choffe, so if a high rate of testing were required for a prolonged period – many months, for example – then more would have to be hired.

The acting medical officer of health for Hastings and Prince Edward Counties, Dr. Alexa Caturay, said public health workers have been responding to the pandemic and trying to prepare for the annual outbreak of influenza.

“Testing is a critical part of this work,” she wrote in a statement.

“We are thankful to our partners at QHC who have been supporting testing in addition to the promotion of all the public health measures we have demonstrated work: staying two metres apart, washing hands frequently, wearing a mask, staying home when sick, and seeking testing when appropriate.”

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