Conclusions
The low cost and rapidity of the enhanced protocol makes it suitable for adoption in laboratories diagnosing COVID-19, especially those with high demand for examinations.
Methods
After testing several different modifications, the adapted protocol with the best
Results
Processing and testing of 119 nasopharyngeal samples ultimately yielded near-perfect agreement with the automated protocol (κ = 0.981 [95% confidence interval 0.943-1.000]). Conclusions: The low cost and rapidity of the enhanced protocol makes it suitable for adoption in laboratories diagnosing COVID-19, especially those with high demand for examinations.