Name : Alika Putri Ramadhanty

NIM : 20119116

Class : TLM 1C

The Role of Health Analyst to Cope

with Covid-19
Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is an infectious disease caused by a newly
discovered coronavirus.

Most people infected with the COVID-19 virus will experience mild to moderate
respiratory illness and recover without requiring special treatment. Older people, and
those with underlying medical problems like cardiovascular disease, diabetes, chronic
respiratory disease, and cancer are more likely to develop serious illness.

The best way to prevent and slow down transmission is be well informed about
the COVID-19 virus, the disease it causes and how it spreads. Protect yourself and
others from infection by washing your hands or using an alcohol based rub frequently
and not touching your face.

The COVID-19 virus spreads primarily through droplets of saliva or discharge

from the nose when an infected person coughs or sneezes, so it’s important that you
also practice respiratory etiquette (for example, by coughing into a flexed elbow).

At this time, there are no specific vaccines or treatments for COVID-19. However,
there are many ongoing clinical trials evaluating potential treatments. WHO will
continue to provide updated information as soon as clinical findings become available.

In the midst of a pandemic outbreak Covid-19 health workers are one of the most
important professions and are always at the forefront. The risks faced by health workers
are very high. Because, health workers must interact directly with patients. Considering
how dangerous Covid-19 requires all workers in charge must be prepared and always
use a complete personal protective equipment. One of the professions that plays a very
important role is health analyst or medical laboratory technology (ATLM).

Health analyst in charge of analyzing samples from patients such as blood, urine,
feces, sputum and others. Which in the sample is suspected to have bacteria or parasites
that cause the patient's illness. It is inconceivable that the risk of exposure is very high
for ATLM who immediately goes down to check samples from all patients especially
patients who are positive for Covid-19.
 This task puts laboratory workers at very risk of contracting diseases from
patients. As a result, personal protective equipment (PPE) in the form of hazmat clothes,
masks, face shields, to gloves is a fixed price for ATLM.

Medical Laboratory Technology Experts conduct Covid-19 examinations with

several methods, including:

1. PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction)

Reporting from The Guardian website, the PCR method can find virus particles
in the body of each individual and place a specific Coronavirus gene sequence. The PCR
method is performed by health workers by wiping the nose or back of the throat. This is
an attempt to take saliva samples, or collect fluid samples from the lower respiratory
tract. PCR examination takes more time to get results because it can only be done in a
laboratory that has been appointed by the government.

2. Rapid Test

If the PCR method is done by taking mucus on a person's body, it is different

from a rapid test that uses blood samples to test whether someone is positive for
COVID-19. Rapid tests work by detecting immunoglobulins. In this case, an infected
person will form an antibody called immunoglobulin, which can be detected in the
blood. The results of the rapid test can come out in just 15-20 minutes and can be done
anywhere. However, the weakness of rapid tests is that it can produce a 'false negative'
when the test results appear negative even though they are actually positive. This
happens if a rapid test is done less than 7 days after being infected.

3. TCM (Molecular Rapid Test)

This type of test is commonly used for tuberculosis (TB) patients. With the TCM
method, the examination will use antigens. Furthermore, the examination on TCM is
carried out using phlegm with cartridge-based nucleic acid amplification. This test will
identify the RNA in the corona virus on a machine that uses a special cartridge that can
detect the corona virus. TCM test results can be known in less than two hours, to
determine positive and negative patients.

Today, 4 May 2020 in global 3 489 053 confirmed cases, 241 559 confirmed
deaths, and 215 countries, areas or territories with cases. So, we as citizens, especially us
as students, can we do quarantine ourselves by doing social distancing and physical
distancing with many people by just staying at home. Maintain health so that the body's
immune system is maintained and do not panic.