Approaching "the Person Closest to the Virus" —— Visit the Microbial Testing Center of Shenyang Center for Disease Control and Prevention
Xinhua News Agency, Shenyang, February 29 (Reporter Yu Yetong) wearing work clothes, a layer of protective clothing, a pair of gloves, a N95 mask and a protective face screen, Dong Xue, director of the Microbiology Testing Center of Shenyang Disease Control Center, in white Carefully open the outer packaging of the sample and the sampling tube in the biosafety cabinet in preparation for sample nucleic acid extraction.
Taking a patient's throat swab, sputum, and other samples for nucleic acid testing is an important part of determining whether a patient is infected with new coronary pneumonia. From February 1st, the close contact person's nucleic acid testing will be conducted by the Shenyang Center for Disease Control and Prevention's Microbial Testing Center, and the 10 testers here will also become "people closest to the virus." On the 28th, the reporter approached this group of "warriors" who were "face-to-face" with the virus and felt the tension and difficulty of their work.
The Microbial Testing Center is located on the 6th floor of the Shenyang Center for Disease Control and Prevention. So far, more than 4,600 samples have been tested here. Detectors stick to it 24 hours a day, fighting their wits with the cunning virus.
The reporter learned that the collected samples were stored in a special virus sampling tube, and the numbers were placed in sealed bags, and then placed in sealed tanks, and transported to the Shenyang Center for Disease Control and Prevention in a biological safety transfer box.
"After the samples are sent, we need to check them first. This step is very important. We must prevent Zhang Guan and Li Dai." Dong Xue said, in order to ensure the accuracy of the sample check, it took almost 12 hours to send a sample to the check.
The checked sealed cans are sent to the laboratory through the window, and the inspectors will number the sealed bags of the samples in the biological safety cabinet. After numbering, it will be sent to the most dangerous part of the entire testing process: in another biological safety cabinet in the nucleic acid extraction area, the sealed bag and sampling tube will be opened, and the sample will be directly exposed to the tester.
"Nucleic acid extraction is the most critical and dangerous part of the entire detection process. Opening the sampling tube is 'face to face' with the virus," Dong Xue said.
At this stage, the tester will shake and mix the sample for nucleic acid extraction. The extracted samples will be transferred to the amplification area of another laboratory. The inspection staff will observe the amplification process, read and analyze the data to confirm whether there is a virus in the sample.
The workload of the Microbiology Testing Center is heavy and hard. After the outbreak, all members of the Microbiological Inspection Center were on duty, and nine test personnel were placed in three shifts on duty. "My home is close, I have no shifts, and I am here at any time." Dong Xue said, "I basically go back at 1 or 2 in the middle of the night, and go back to the laboratory at 6 o'clock in the morning.
"Tonight's volume is too big, the sample exceeded 700." Dong Xue said. Work continued into the early hours of the morning, when sleepiness, fatigue, and hunger struck the inspectors. "Drink a can of Red Bull and survive it," said inspector Liu Jianmin. They only rested for more than ten minutes, and then went back to fighting.