2 December 2020 – With the generous support of the European Union Trust Fund Health Emergency Project, the World Health Organization has contributed to increasing COVID-19 testing capacity of the Central Public Health Laboratory of the Ministry of Health of Jordan with a donation of a fully automated analyzer COBAS 6800 that runs around 1300 COVID-19 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests in 24 hours.
COBAS 6800 represents a fully automated system that consolidates, integrates and standardizes the pre-analytical process to streamline laboratory operations. The principle is based on fully automated sample preparation (nucleic acid extraction and purification) followed by PCR amplification and detection. Automated data management is performed by software which assigns test results for all tests. Results can be reviewed directly on the system screen and printed as a report.
Professor Nathir Obeidat, H.E Minister of Health, emphasized the added value of this equipment, which allows simultaneous processing and is designed to increase the safety and protection of laboratory technicians by minimizing the number of interactions with COVID-19 samples and also reducing workload.
“Increasing the capacity of COVID-19 testing will strengthen the laboratory operation enabling staff to increase workflow efficiency, while adapting to their ever-changing testing demands during this pandemic,” Dr Maria Cristina Profili, WHO Representative to Jordan said.
