MERS-Coronavirus RT-PCR | KK Women's and Children's Hospital

Specimen Container	Sterile container Use red-capped flocked swab in Universal Transport Medium (UTM) for nasopharyngeal collection. Click here “Instruction on how to use Nasopharyngeal swab with UTM”
Specimen Requirement	To consult Infectious Disease (paeds) doctor before collecting specimen. Please call lab before sending specimen at 6394 1389 / 6394 1382. Acceptable specimens include nasopharyngeal swabs, throat swab, BAL, ETTA and nasopharyngeal aspirate. All samples must be double bagged and hand delivered to laboratory, with a description of "Suspect MERS / Novel Coronavirus".
Specimen Storage/Transport	All specimens must be transported to the laboratory within 24hours of collection, otherwise at 4^oC.
Orderable as Urgent?	No
Turn Around Time	Routine cases: 1 - 2 days Urgent cases: 24 hrs or less
Testing Laboratory Location	KKH
Laboratory	Molecular Micro
Contact Number	6394 1382
Day and Time Performed	Mon - Fri: 0800 hrs to 1800 hrs Last specimen receipt time: 1730 Sat: 0800hrs to 1800 hrs Last specimen receipt time: 1630 Sun & PH: 0800 hrs to 1800 hrs Last specimen receipt time: 1500 Urgent cases: A phone consult is required between the physician-in-charge and the microbiologist.
Orderable on CPOE?	Yes
Downtime Form	CPOE
Additional Information	Refer to intraweb "Emerging Infectious Disease Preparedness" .

Change History Notes

01 Jul 2025 08:30 AM

Update linked document in specimen container. Update link in additional information.
03 Feb 2023 12:00 AM

Updated Day and Time Performed.

Last Updated - 01 Jul 2025