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Laboratory Confirmed Cases – This is the official designation of infection numbers, which are published daily by the Federal Office of Public Health BAG. These numbers have been increasing enormously for days, on Friday 6,634 new cases were reported in Switzerland. In Aargau 266 positive tests were recorded. Test, test, test – this is one of the measures that is recommended over and over again to contain the spread of the virus. After all, health authorities need to know how many people are infected with Covid-19, leading to measures against further spread.
The number of corona tests is also increasing in Aargau, increasing the burden on laboratory employees, as indicated in an open letter from the Aarau Cantonal Hospital (KSA) laboratory. The letter comes from the lab team and is an urgent and dramatic cry for help. “Politicians and doctors are reporting in the media that we still have everything under control,” says the letter, which describes the situation of the KSA biomedical analysts.
But the reality looks different, according to the letter: “We are completely on the edge!” At the moment it can be read in the media that the hospital staff is not yet overwhelmed and that the hospitals still have enough intensive care beds. “We have long been overwhelmed, we are invaded by rehearsals and it will get worse,” says the contrast in the letter.
The evaluation of a crown test is complex and time consuming
Assessing a Covid 19 test is not as easy as you might imagine, the open letter says. “The doctor not only takes a nasal / throat swab and quickly places this material in a black box, which after a few minutes gives the results ‘Covid-19 positive’ or ‘Covid-19 negative’. That is a much more complex process, ”he says there. The process is described in detail in the letter from the Aarau Cantonal Hospital laboratory.
“The samples arrive at the laboratory, where their precision must first be verified. If everything is correct, and unfortunately it is not always the case, these samples must be registered in our system so that the result can be correctly transmitted to the doctor, who can then inform you of the result. Once we have finally logged all of these samples, currently between 300 and 500 a day from the KSA and surrounding hospitals and doctors’ offices, we upload them to our devices.
Devices work almost without interruption
This also takes a while as we have to make sure we don’t mix up the samples. And sadly, our devices are not miracle machines that can be filled endlessly. So we start the device full and hope you have done everything right after 1.5 to 3 hours. These devices now work for almost 24 hours without interruption. It is almost a miracle that they are still so functional and do not abandon the ghost! After this step is completed, the samples are sent to a second device for another two hours, which now tells us whether they are positive or negative. It may happen that on rare occasions we have to repeat certain samples for various reasons, ”says the letter.
More staff, longer work, overtime: “Not enough”
“Constantly under time pressure, we have been trying since March to convey test results as quickly as possible,” the open letter reads. And also: “From one day to the next we suddenly had to offer a test that we had never done before.” The laboratory delivers the results, as reported by doctors and politicians in the media, in the time they specify, that is, in one day. “We have adjusted our working hours, we have hired additional staff, we have worked countless overtime and yet it was not enough,” the letter says.
In addition to all the Covid-19 tests, the biomedical analysts in the KSA lab must maintain their routine work. “We also have to examine other important samples, which, among other things, are also analyzed on the same devices as a Covid-19 smear,” the letter said. It also says: “Patients keep calling us on our laboratory phone and requesting information about their findings, although we are not responsible for them.” The letter’s questionable conclusion: “We work all day, we come at night for the most urgent emergencies and we work alone on weekends, always for the well-being of the patient, and yet we are not fast enough.”
Exhausted capacity: “We can’t cope anymore”
The conclusion drawn from the laboratory in the open letter is clear: “Enough! We no longer have the ability to analyze hundreds of smears in addition to routine. We are no longer willing to work countless overtime, to volunteer, to hear that we are not fast enough. “And it is definitely not possible to accept any more requests for Covid-19 testing. The reason is simple:” We just can’t do it. versus more. “
It’s time for something to change, the letter continues. The sample volume could not be increased any further, otherwise the laboratory would be forced to set priorities. “So we can no longer analyze Covid-19 spots just because someone is going on vacation the next day by plane or because an ice hockey team would like to play their next game so much,” two specific examples are listed.
Not all test materials are currently available.
The laboratory staff would then have to decide whether a sample from a patient with suspected meningitis should be tested for viruses more urgently than a Covid-19 test from a person without symptoms. “Both cases are analyzed in the same device, but only one of them is a real emergency,” is the explanation in the letter.
With their letter, the team is now going public so that the public can finally discover “that the laboratory staff is inundated with Covid-19 samples and that we are at the limit. Lack of staff, limited infrastructure and a large number of orders, it does not work, ”says the letter. Meanwhile, the situation has worsened even because some of the materials needed for the tests are not currently available. “We hope to find open ears before falling silent due to overload,” the letter concludes.
Hospital management tries to recruit new staff quickly
“We are aware that the situation is stressful for the laboratory employees and that they have achieved a lot in recent months,” says Isabelle Wenzinger, spokeswoman for Aarau Cantonal Hospital, about the open letter. That is why the hospital management is working hard to relieve staff and recruit new staff. “Unfortunately, we couldn’t do this as quickly as we would have liked,” admits Wenzinger.
Furthermore, the situation has developed rapidly recently with the increasing number of cases. “Demand for testing has increased tremendously this week and the fight against the crown has become even more focused. Therefore, we have a great understanding with the employees and we are in constant contact with them, ”says the spokesperson. He also expects corona rapid tests to pass quickly. “This could also help ease the lab.”
