The 2020 Crisis
Since Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) first emerged in December 2019, the disease evolved into a pandemic overnight.
As soon as the causative pathogen, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), was identified, a laboratory diagnosis was established and has played an essential role in confirming a clinical diagnosis of COVID -19.
Challenges Faced By Laboratories
Laboratory biochemical tests, including monitoring changes in blood cells, coagulation, liver function, cardiac markers, and inflammatory responses, are also critical in combating COVID-19.
With the increase in the number of patients and the number of asymptomatic cases, clinical laboratories are facing enormous challenges in:
- adopting diagnostic approaches that can rapidly and accurately identify infected persons and,
- adopting strategies that can detect disease progression allowing stratification of suffering patients for appropriate care.
These are urgently needed and highlight the requirement of laboratory technicians in combating COVID-19.
While the world screams for “more tests” during the SARSCoV2 pandemic, most of us would agree that our largest hurdle to helping our patients is the lack of medical lab technicians who conduct these numerous tests.
Moreover, people do not stop having heart disease, diabetes, influenza infections, or pregnancies, just because of a single virus spreading the world over.
So, even these tests need to be carried out on a regular basis.
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Role of an MLT
With the appearance of such an unprecedented situation, the worth of MLT has risen. The world’s focus is now on medical laboratory technicians.