Monitoring the quality of SARS-CoV-2 virus detection in molecular diagnostic laboratories in the Eastern Mediterranean Region during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Publisher: Wiley Country of Publication: England NLM ID: 101304007 Publication Model: Print Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1750-2659 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 17502640 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Influenza Other Respir Viruses Subsets: MEDLINE

Original Publication: Oxford, UK : Wiley, c2007-

COVID-19*/diagnosis ; COVID-19*/epidemiology ; Influenza, Human*/diagnosis ; Influenza, Human*/epidemiology; Humans ; SARS-CoV-2 ; Laboratories ; Pandemics ; Pathology, Molecular ; Mediterranean Region/epidemiology ; COVID-19 Testing

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic placed unprecedented stress on laboratories in the Eastern Mediterranean Region. Building on existing capacity for influenza diagnostics, countries introduced COVID-19 diagnostic support to ~100% regional coverage. A key challenge during the expansion was maintaining quality testing in laboratories, ensuring that correct results were shared with medical facilities.
Methods: WHO organized two rounds of independently monitored severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) external quality assurance programs (EQAP). The Public Health Laboratory (PHL) division of WHO supplied external quality assurance (EQA) panels, from the Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia Quality Assurance Programme (RCPAQAP) Australia to laboratories not enrolled in recurring Global Influenza Surveillance and Response System (GISRS) quality assurance programs, in which national influenza centers routinely participate.
Results: Fifteen and 14 countries participated in PHL/EQAP for SARS-CoV-2 between 2020 and 2022. Concordance was consistent between rounds, reaching 96.4% and 89.9%. A separate assessment of GISRS/EQAP to national-level laboratories identified high levels of response and concordance for SARS-CoV-2 (100% response, 93% concordance), which was reduced for influenza (50% response rate, 80% concordance), reflecting the challenge of prioritizing pathogens during outbreaks.
Conclusion: The proliferation of laboratories in response to COVID-19 was a success story from the pandemic. However, monitoring the quality of laboratories was challenging via existing EQAP. The addition of PHL/EQAP provided a mechanism to monitor performance of laboratories that were not designated as national influenza centers. While a high proportion of laboratories attained good results, continual emphasis on quality and enrollment in EQAP is key to ensuring sustainability of laboratory testing in future.
(© 2023 World Health Organization; licensed by John Wiley & Sons Ltd. Influenza and Other Respiratory Viruses published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Influenza Other Respir Viruses. 2023 Oct 18;17(10):e13205. (PMID: 37859974)
Euro Surveill. 2020 Jan;25(3):. (PMID: 31992387)
Lancet Planet Health. 2023 Feb;7(2):e109-e111. (PMID: 36754465)
EMBO Rep. 2022 Apr 5;23(4):e54932. (PMID: 35267239)
J Glob Health. 2022 Jul 06;12:03045. (PMID: 35787540)
BMJ. 2022 Nov 7;379:o2681. (PMID: 36343961)
Int J Public Health. 2018 May;63(Suppl 1):11-23. (PMID: 28776238)
Ann Med Surg (Lond). 2020 Jul 18;57:70-75. (PMID: 32704368)
East Mediterr Health J. 2022 Dec 21;28(12):851-852. (PMID: 36573563)
BMC Biol. 2020 Oct 28;18(1):153. (PMID: 33115440)
Nat Rev Microbiol. 2021 Mar;19(3):171-183. (PMID: 33057203)
Int J Infect Dis. 2022 Sep;122:647-655. (PMID: 35809857)
J Clin Lab Anal. 2021 Jun;35(6):e23804. (PMID: 34032325)
Ann Glob Health. 2021 Mar 26;87(1):30. (PMID: 33816135)

001 International WHO_ World Health Organization

Keywords: COVID-19; EMRO; SARS-CoV-2; laboratory; quality; surveillance

Date Created: 20231129 Date Completed: 20231201 Latest Revision: 20231214

20240628

PMC10654553

10.1111/irv.13217

38019698