In the first instance, patients who need hospital care are tested for corona. Healthcare workers are also tested to find out if they are suffering from the viral disease.

New method of analysis

The samples, taken by mucosal topping, are analyzed by clinical microbiology for Kronoberg and Blekinge at the laboratory in Växjö. As the corona virus is new, the laboratory has developed its own new method of analysis.

- Over the past week we have been able to increase from 500 to about 700 samples per week. And with a new method we are testing now, hopefully within a couple of weeks we will have the opportunity to analyze about 1,500 samples per week for both regions in total, ”says Oskar Ekelund, operations manager for the microbiologist in the Kronoberg Region, in a press release.

"Reduce the spread of infection"

Healthcare states that it is the same priority as before when it comes to the people being tested for the virus among patients and healthcare professionals.

"Sampling is an important instrument in some contexts, but the most important thing to reduce the spread of infection is to stay home and not meet other people if you have the smallest symptoms that are similar to colds or flu," says Bengt Wittesjö, who is an infection prevention physician in the Blekinge region.