11/03/2020: Lab Advisory: CDC Updates Specimen Collection Guidelines for COVID-19
Audience: Clinical Laboratory Professionals
Level: Laboratory Advisory
On November 3, 2020, CDC updated the Interim Laboratory Biosafety Guidelines for Handling and Processing Specimens Associated with COVID-19 web page. The updated guidelines provide more detailed recommendations for several methods of collecting specimens for SARS-CoV-2 testing:
- Nasopharyngeal swabs
- Nasal mid-turbinate swabs
- Anterior nares specimen collection
- Saliva
Online resources:
- COVID-19 Information for Laboratories
- Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About COVID-19 for Laboratories
- CDC COVID-19 Website
- Clinical Laboratory COVID-19 Response Calls
- CDC Laboratory Outreach Communication System (LOCS)
- Register for CDC Health Alert Network (HAN) notifications, including updates about COVID-19. Enter your email address, search for HAN, and sign up
If you have any questions, please contact us at LOCS@cdc.gov.
Thank you,
The Laboratory Outreach Communication System
Laboratory Outreach Communication System | Division of Laboratory Systems (DLS)
Center for Surveillance, Epidemiology, and Laboratory Services (CSELS)
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)