First-ever contact-free COVID testing station set up in Latvia

Pauls Stradiņš clinical university hospital (PSKUS) this week installed what is claimed to be the world's first contactless COVID-19 testing facility for personnel testing.

Equipment for testing employees is installed in collaboration with the E. Gulbja laboratory network. It will ensure the identification of infected persons as soon as possible and allow rapid response to the possible spread of infection, as well as reduced pressure on hospital staff.

On December 7th, the first of these machines started operating at PSKUS for regular SARS-CoV-2 virus testing material collection of PSKUS staff 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The machine is fully automated and its software provides remote machine management. 

From 14th of December, additional machines will be installed elsewhere and made available to the public, and in the future it will be possible to transfer other types of testing material, which will be stored safely both from a data protection point of view and in accordance with the biological material storage temperature regime.

People will be able to register and apply for tests on a dedicated website to obtain access codes for receiving and handing in analysis kits to the automated machine.

“Every quickly-detected infection among employees is essential to maintain a safe environment for both employees and patients in the hospital,” said Rinalds Muciņš, chairman of the hospital board.

The facility is created by Latvian specialists and companies, said Didzis Gavars, member of the board of the E. Gulbja laboratory, with SIA “JK Energo” and AS “Latvijas Finieris” also involved in turning it into reality.

Source: eng.lsm.lv