Summary

COVID-19 test swabs that have been tested bagged for storage at the Doherty Institute, Parkville in early 2020.

Description of Content

Plastic pin with test swabs in orange plastic bags.

Physical Description

Born Digital Image.

Significance

This image shows some of the behind the scenes work of the Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity.The large bags of samples (tubes containing nose/throat swabs) shows the scale of testing, and the hard work of many staff on the frontline. Each tube has required a healthcare professional to take the sample from the patient, and the sample must be taken to a laboratory where multiple researchers analyse each sample in a process that takes several days.

Each tube being tested represents a person in lockdown, avoiding contact with any other person until they receive their COVID-19 (aka SARS-CoV-2) result during the 2020 pandemic.

The large volume also demonstrates the cooperation of the Victorian public in being tested to assist it tracing and so controlling the pandemic.

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