The specimen is a NPS or NS from a patient collected and preserved in 3 mL Universal Transport Media (UTM), BD Universal Viral Transport (UVT), or MicroTest M4RT transport media, or 1 mL Copan Eswab (Liquid Amies).
The specimen is from a patient who is either hospitalized, admitted to a hospital emergency department, visiting an outpatient clinic or resident of a long-term care facility.
The specimen is from a human patient with active signs and symptoms of respiratory tract infection at time of collection
Specimen stored at 2-8°C for up to 72 hours from collection. If there is a delay in testing, store specimen at ≤-70 °C.
The total volume of the leftover specimen received is ≥1.5 mL, except for specimens collected in Liquid Amies which requires a total leftover volume of ≥0.5 mL
The specimen was received in good condition (no leakage or drying of the specimen).
You may not be if
Incorrect swab type
Incorrect transport media
Incorrect specimen handling (e.g. specimens not stored at recommended temperature)
The specimen has undergone more than two freeze/thaw cycles
Specimens collected with calcium alginate or organic swabs
