[ad_1]
He even sleeps in the lab
Researchers from the Vilnius University Life Sciences Center (VU GMC), only after receiving the green light to analyze samples of COVID-19, gathered a team of volunteers and went to work. A team of 15 people works without pay.
According to researcher VU GMC doc. Eglė Lastauskienė, the laboratory work is ongoing: you never know when samples can arrive. This is confirmed by the doc. Kristina Daniūnaitė, who agreed with reporters and said she slept only an hour tonight. According to her, during this difficult period you have to spend the night in the laboratory.
“We arrived on Monday, and will probably leave on Saturday. On average, you have to sleep 2-3 hours a day. We are happy if it is 5 hours. My personal record is 5 hours of sleep in three days. But colleagues say that you didn’t see it in your face, “laughs K. Daniūnaitė. According to her, as soon as the lack of sleep begins to interfere with work, one has to find a place to rest.
A team of 15 volunteer scientists must not only examine the samples, but also record them and enter the results into the system.
“Now we work almost all day, especially those people who analyze the results and put them in systems, aggregate the data. Sometimes you really have to fall asleep for just an hour a day. But we adapt, everything is fine, the experience will definitely last a long time. Hopefully, that experience will clearly not be needed anytime soon.
We are committed to integrating the results, whatever they may be, into the systems as soon as possible. It turns out that we do most of the work at night, and all the rest of the work is done during the day, ”says K. Daniūnaitė.
The first positive case will never be forgotten
The researchers admit that working in the laboratory has changed attitudes toward the pandemic. “In the past, you only looked at statistics and you saw statistics, only reports and you knew nothing else. Now everything has become living people. We will probably always remember the first case found in our laboratory. That person’s name will always remain in our memory .
So far, we are at a stage where, after seeing a positive case, we are quick to check what a person’s age is, whether it is very dangerous or not. Emotionally, it is very difficult. I did not expect that of myself, I consider myself a strong person, not emotional. But the work in this laboratory changes, “says E. Lastauskienė openly.
Researcher K. Daniūnaitė says that the first positive test for coronavirus recorded in his laboratory was found in an adult woman at risk. The test came at an unexpected time, with the first batch of samples.
“The first case was at night, with the last reaction, when we said that we would not catch anything positive.” It is during this last reaction that we have seen that there is a positive case. Initially it was awkward to call the relevant services long after midnight and report that we have a positive result. However, we have seen that everyone is ready to receive that information at any time of the day and it is definitely the best disposition to respond to each news, “recalls K. Daniūnaitė.
The safest place in Lithuania.
According to E. Lastauskienė, even now the team of volunteers is in a state of excitement. “When we started this work, it was a new experience for everyone. We were used to the same safety requirements: it was normal for you to wear gloves and bathrobes. But when he comes here, everything turns around. There’s nothing he can do inside, if his ear starts to itch somewhere, he can’t lift it.
The job is not physically easy. Staying in those airless suits is difficult for a few hours. You see it on the faces of the doctors too. We also have pressure marks, we only work shorter ”, says the researcher.
“Before we started working in this lab, we were very scared. I can honestly say I was scared. I had agreed how I would pass it on to my family if I got sick. But when you come to work here, you find out that it is such a large safety zone. This It is probably the safest place in Lithuania today. It is much safer here than going to the store or taking a walk, “says E. Lastauskienė. So far, the team of volunteers has mainly tested 600 samples in the laboratory at the same time. According to her, the greatest risk of developing COVID-19 is when the tube is opened.
I had to create my own sign language
According to K. Daniūnaitė, VU GMC has three laboratories where samples are analyzed. The sample arrives through a specially isolated ladder, the samples are delivered by courier.
The sample is taken in a special area, then travels to the internal laboratory where it is unpacked, then given a special code, which is recorded in a log book. The sample is then transferred as soon as possible to an adjacent laboratory where RNA is prepared for genetic analysis and virus detection.
In the third laboratory, a diagnostic process is carried out: a polymerase chain reaction is prepared and placed in the device. “On average, we can already see those results in an hour,” says K. Daniūnaitė.
Access to the laboratory is only possible with special clothing, it takes about 20 minutes to get dressed. You should first put on a white suit that covers the entire body, put on special booties, put on a special hood or hat, put on a mask and glasses or a coat. Be sure to wear gloves. Gloves often need to be disinfected by scientists.
The most interesting thing is that when you put on a respirator, it is extremely difficult to speak: for a colleague to listen, you have to scream. Although, according to K. Daniūnaitė, even screaming doesn’t help. So the volunteers had to create their own sign language.
“We have an internal phone in a lab, and everywhere there is something missing, something ends, something needs to be brought or filed.” Every entrance to the lab means we have to fully dress in a full set of protective gear, remove that thing and file it, then go out there and throw everything away. In other words, it takes the whole set for a minute, and then it goes away, ”says K. Daniūnaitė.
Scientists hope that when the pandemic ends, no one will neutralize the COVID-19 samples and allow them to be analyzed by scientists. “It would be really interesting to see what mutations there are in our region. This is a completely blank sheet, each region has its own details that we don’t know about. We have our own genetics that can change the genetics of the virus. This is a very interesting topic, “says E. Lastauskienė.
It is strictly prohibited to use the information published by DELFI on other websites, in the media or elsewhere, or to distribute our material in any way without consent, and if consent has been obtained, DELFI must be cited as the source.
[ad_2]
