Extended Storage of SARS-CoV2 Nasopharyngeal Swabs Does Not Negatively Impact Results of Molecular-Based Testing

Skalina, K. A.; Goldstein, D. Y.; Sulail, J.; Hahm, E.; Narlieva, M.; Szymczak, W.; Fox, A. S.

With the global outbreak of the novel coronavirus disease 2019, the demand for testing rapidly increased and quickly exceeded the testing capacities for many laboratories. Clinical tests which receive CE and FDA authorizations cannot always be tested thoroughly in a real-world environment. Here we demonstrate the long-term stability of nasopharyngeal swab specimens for SARS-CoV-2 molecular testing across three assays recently approved by the U.S. FDA under Emergency Use Authorization. This study demonstrates that nasopharyngeal swab specimens can be stored under refrigeration or even ambient conditions for 21 days without clinically impacting the results of the real-time RT-PCR testing.