From test site to provincial lab: the timeline of a COVID-19 test

Over the last week, the province has opened two new drive-thru test sites; one in Regina, and the other in Saskatoon.

That’s along with the goal of processing between 3,000 and 4,000 tests each day, now that schools are in session.

So, what happens to those throat and nasal swabs once they’re taken? Nicole Cox is the director of quality, safety and logistics for lab medicine for the Saskatchewan Health Authority.

She says it’s a big exercise in continuing safety, logistics, timing and training.

Once the samples are collected, they are labelled, and a requisition form is attached to each one. Then they’re packed into special canvas bags.

“We’re actually held to regulatory requirements by Transport Canada on how these samples are shipped. So we’re required to send them through ‘Category B’ packaging…within the lab system we have what we call totes and they’re essentially larger canvas bags that have an interior plastic hard shell and the samples are shipped through those. We do have standard processes put in place within the lab for packing those totes.”

The samples are picked up at specific times during the day and directed to either Saskatoon for processing or to the Roy Romanow Lab in Regina. About one-third of the tests are processed in Saskatoon, while the other two-thirds are completed in Regina.

All samples are transported by vehicle. At one point, Cox said a plane was used to transport samples from the La Loche area.

“What we found was that while the plane was going, the plane would take the samples down to the Roy Romanow provincial lab daily, but we did run into issues with things like weather and instances when a plane is not OK to travel, but a vehicle still is. So, the airplane is no longer going.”

That means all of those samples from the far north are now driven to Saskatoon.

The SHA has its own couriers and also contracts some, including cab drivers in parts of the province. However, all drivers must have special training and certification.

“It’s Transportation of Dangerous Goods training and all couriers are required to have that training…We work very hard to make sure everyone has that training so that they’re kept safe while they’re transporting anything.”

So far she says, there have not been any accidents where tests have been compromised, or any test samples lost or misplaced.

Once the samples get to their destination, there are a series of protocols and steps they go through before they can be processed.

“The requisition and the information is then inputted into our system,” Cox explained. “We work with registration in order to get the full totality of patient information for reporting. And then the samples will go through and be tested. Once we have a result, it goes through all of the software system channels to be reported out to physicians.”

As for whether the additional drive-thru sites and testing capacity has stretched SHA courier resources, Cox said no.

“We have more transportation routes occurring overall provincially. Whereas before we were working with what was available to us, whereas now we’ve got funding from the Ministry (of Health) and we’re able to put in additional transportation routes as needed.”