Firmly sample the nasal wall by rotating the swab in a circular path against the nasal wall at least 4 times. The process for sterilizing COVID-19 swabs is highly regulated and completely safe. Chemtronics offers theCoventry Sterile Foam Swab (part #66120ST, see fig 5) that has been engineered to efficiently collect biological fluids for elution and analysis. Saline is also an acceptable transport medium for some COVID-19 viral assays, including the Influenza SARS-CoV-2 (Flu SC2) Multiplex Assay. This phenomenon is also explained in a BBC explainer for early secondary school pupils ( here ). Titan Biotech VTM Covid-19 Sample Collection Kit 1 Tube Of Viral Transport Media With 1 Swab. If the patient needs assistance, you can help the patient place the swab into transport media or a transport device and seal it. Remove the swab from the nose slowly and carefully while rolling it in your fingertips. Pack and ship suspected and confirmed SARS-CoV-2 patient specimens, cultures, or isolates as UN 3373 Biological Substance, Category B, in accordance with the current edition of theInternational Air Transport Association (IATA) Dangerous Goods RegulationsandU.S. Department of Transportations (DOT) Transporting Infectious Substances Safely. Fact: At the beginning of the pandemic, COVID-19 tests required the insertion of a swab all the way . For patients with productive cough, a sputum sample is an acceptable lower respiratory specimen. Ethylene oxide (EtO or EO) - EtO is a sterilization method that utilizes medium temperatures between 99-145F (3763C), which creates a chemical reaction of proteins and DNA within the bacteria or viruses. standard operating procedure for the preparation of VTM, International Air Transport Association (IATA) Dangerous Goods Regulations, U.S. Department of Transportations (DOT) Transporting Infectious Substances Safely, Interim Laboratory Biosafety Guidelines for Handling and Processing Specimens Associated with Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), Biological Risk Assessment: General Considerations for Laboratories, Biosafety in Microbiological and Biomedical Laboratories (BMBL) 6th Edition, Steps for Collecting Finger Stick Capillary Blood Using a Microtainer, Biosafety in Microbiological and Biomedical Laboratories (BMBL) (6th edition), Guidance for SARS-CoV-2 Point-of-Care Testing, Guidance Proposed Use of Point-of-Care (POC) Testing Platforms for SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19), Information for Clinicians on Influenza Virus Testing, Information on Collection of Respiratory Specimens for Influenza Virus Testing, WHO Guidelines on Drawing Blood: Best Practices in Phlebotomy, National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases (NCIRD), FAQ: Multiplex Assay for Flu and SARS-CoV-2 and Supplies, Hospitalization Surveillance Network COVID-NET, Laboratory-Confirmed Hospitalizations by Age, Demographics Characteristics & Medical Conditions, Seroprevalence Surveys in Special Populations, Large-Scale Geographic Seroprevalence Surveys, Investigating the Impact of COVID-19 During Pregnancy, Hospitalization and Death by Race/Ethnicity, U.S. Department of Health & Human Services.