It’s quiet in the laboratory practice Diagnosticum rooms in Plauen. From the hustle and bustle in the days of the Corona-crisis, nothing is felt. And yet: The employees work here in continuous use. The laboratory in Plauen is the Central unit in Neukirchen bei Chemnitz-based medical practice. Here all Tests are carried out for the diagnosis of infectious diseases according to the PCR method-the so – called Polymerase chain reaction.
97 laboratories in Germany
For weeks, the Tests Sars-CoV-2, the novel Coronavirus is part of it. “We have quadrupled our staff in Plauen on 20, we are now working in a Three-shift system, 24 hours a day, seven days,” says Christian Scholz, managing partner of Diagnosticum.
The Neukirchener practice, with the laboratory in Plauen is one of 97 in Germany, which evaluates currently Corona Tests. Of the approximately 300,000 weekly Tests in Germany are investigated in Plauen, about 9100. “We have expanded our space and the number of devices increased. We investigate persistent samples from Saxony, Northern Bavaria and Saxony. Requests it is now also available from Thuringia“, says Scholz.
“the economy is not the production after the”
The 38-year-old with a PhD specialist for laboratory medicine believes that its employees could make up to 2200 samples per day, there would be other problems.
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The lie in the delivery of work materials. “The economy is not the production of reagents. We have five suppliers and get multiple weekly replenishment. But also so that we don’t come back,“ says Scholz. Also swab materials are not always sufficiently available. A large producer of which has his headquarters in Northern Italy, where the Corona is crisis particularly clearly.
Can take up to a week, until the result is
Within 24 hours of test results can be present. However, according to urgency. “The existing test capacities it applies to medical staff, security organs and other vulnerable persons, how to secure high-risk groups among the patients,” advises the professional Association of German laboratory physicians (BDL).
dpa/Sven Hoppe/dpa/icon image A lab Technician conducts Tests for the Coronavirus.
Therefore, it can take according to Scholz a week, to a Patient with Symptonen but without severe disease test results. His staff, however, is highly motivated and with the draw complete. “We can hold out for long. A large praise goes to the employees,“ says Scholz.
For other samples demand
Nevertheless falls threaten the practice, the economic problems, should stop the crisis for a long time. Because the number of all other medical samples, which evaluates Diagnosticum, as before, has noticeably declined. But for the main acquisition. The 1300 Corona Tests are at a total of 20,000 samples per day, only a small part of it. In addition, the PCR Tests are considerably more time-consuming than Routine Tests.
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Also, therefore, the umbrella Association of “Accredited laboratories in medicine” (ALM), along the closed clinics are currently in better agreements, as well as predictable statements of health boards and local authorities to the number of Corona delivered samples. Then personnel could be used more effectively. Because even for Routine Tests, sufficient staff must be available.
Scholz: “No promise can not be met”
in Addition, laboratories had to be taken in the case of the supply of protective clothing is frequently in the back. “But most of all: No promises that cannot be kept. New test methods and more effective equipment are good, but if the reagents are missing, it will be worth nothing,“ said Scholz.
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