Related Experiment Video
Updated: Dec 11, 2025
Standard Operating Procedure for Lyssavirus Surveillance of the Bat Population in Taiwan
Published on: August 27, 2019
Building the National SARS-CoV-2 Laboratory Diagnostic Capacity in Taiwan
Ji-Rong Yang1, Ming-Tsan Liu1, Hsin-I Huang1
1Ji-Rong Yang, PhD, is a Technical Specialist, and Ming-Tsan Liu, PhD, is a Researcher and Primary Investigator, in the Viral Respiratory Diseases Laboratory; Hwa-Jen Teng, PhD, is Section Chief, and Jou-Han Chen is an Assistant Researcher, in the Laboratory Quality Assurance and Biosafety Section; Hsin-I Huang, MD, is a Medical Officer; and Shu-Ying Li, PhD, is Center Director; all at the Center for Diagnostics and Vaccine Development, Centers for Disease Control, Taipei, Taiwan.
Abstract:
Through early and proactive laboratory testing of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus that causes novel coronavirus 2019, Taiwan has demonstrated an efficient and rapid control response to contain the outbreak. Two days after the World Health Organization announced the complete viral genome sequence, the national laboratory of the Taiwan Centers for Disease Control developed a specific real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (real-time RT-PCR) test for SARS-CoV-2. The national laboratory network was further strengthened through the recruitment of medical centers and regional hospitals distributed throughout most geographical regions of the country. Ultimately, a network of 60 laboratories with a capacity of 7,342 real-time RT-PCR tests per day was established. Between January 14 and August 5, 2020, a total of 158,772 tests were conducted, corresponding to 120,487 cases. Test results were obtained within 24 hours, enabling an efficient and rapid control response.
