Summary: Laboratory diagnosis makes an almost irreplaceable contribution to the study of COVID-19 disease and its complications. The diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 infections is and will remain in the near future based on the direct identification of viral RNA by molecular biology techniques in biological materials, especially in samples from the upper and lower respiratory tract.
The readily available rapid tests for the detection of viral antigens or anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies provide an excellent opportunity for epidemiological surveillance, although more information is still needed on the accuracy and clinical utility of these immunological methods.