3 Challenges Medical Labs Face During COVID-19

Ever since the novel Coronavirus was detected in December 2019, the world has had to double its efforts in keeping up with the pandemic. It has caused significant disruptions to businesses, the way of life and, more importantly, put a lot of pressure on medical laboratories. Nevertheless, some labs such as Genesis Diagnostics have had to rise to the occasion to provide more services to alleviate the situation in America. According to Reuters, US diagnostic centers are inundated with at least 800,000 COVID-19 lab tests daily. What are some of the challenges these labs face in keeping up with the pandemic? Here are a few.  

1. Overwhelming specimen numbers, reagent shortages, and extended shifts

The US public health system has been significantly overwhelmed since the COVID-19 fight began. Medical knowledge, health care practices, and resources have been stretched thin and have impacted testing platforms. Testing at least 800,000 samples each day is worrying amidst high demand for rapid results and reports. To handle this volume, many labs have had to rely heavily on a laboratory information system (LIS) to efficiently manage the influx of specimen data and ensure timely communication of test results. These systems streamline workflows, reduce manual errors, and help labs keep up with reporting demands during the pandemic. Although some diagnostic centers have been able to withstand the pressure, providing quality service for over a year, it’s generally a challenging issue many medical labs are still dealing with.

These high daily demands have also resulted in lab workers having to work overtime in the past year. Moreover, at a point, some labs reported shortages in testing reagents. Others requested more PPEs to better equip themselves while on duty as medical lab professionals. This has taken a toll on medical professionals, which could have long-term effects on healthcare delivery if they can’t work in shifts.

2. Inadequate risk assessments of lab sites and activities

Every medical laboratory has slightly different circumstances which affect how they conduct business daily. However, with the Coronavirus pandemic, they’ve all had to go into overdrive to serve the whopping numbers of people requiring tests. The American CDC has consistently advocated for site-specific risk assessments to enable each lab to identify and implement bespoke safety measures. Unfortunately, due to the emergency nature of the pandemic, labs are going beyond their daily limits, unable to perform these critical assessments. 

This has increased safety risks in a few diagnostic labs, as the best some of them can do is adopt generic hazard evaluations. However, with the development of vaccines, labs may eventually breathe a sigh of relief, although it doesn’t mean complete eradication of this outbreak.

3. The increased cost of protecting medical lab staff

The costs of protecting medical lab staff are rapidly increasing as the staff has to work extended shifts and hours. The SARS-CoV-2 is a novel disease, and due to its highly infectious nature, PPEs must be in ample supply. Unfortunately, it hasn’t been the case, resulting in some medical lab personnel having to rely on personal means to acquire these protective materials. On the other hand, medical centers with labs have had to spend more to purchase personal protective equipment to enhance the safety of their diagnostic staff.

The pandemic is currently the worst public health emergency that the country has had to handle in the 21st century and has taken a toll on medical laboratories. However, as solutions advance, the pressure on these facilities may eventually ease up.