Since its first identification in China at the end of 2019, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 has rapidly spread all over the world, becoming an international healthcare emergency. In the era of coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19), several aspects of normal life, including those related to the medical activities, have been radically changed. Extraordinary measures have been adopted by different nations to cope with the rapid diffusion of COVID-19 all over the world. In hospitals, careful attention has been paid to manage infected patients with a possible detrimental effect for patients affected by other diseases. As with other medical fields, cytopathology laboratories have also drastically modified their activities to cope with the COVID-19 healthcare emergency. Here, the main effects of COVID-19 pandemic on the routine practice of cytopathology are summarised, focusing on the prioritisation policy adopted by cytopathologists worldwide.
Keywords: COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; biosafety; cytopathology; molecular pathology; rapid on-site evaluation.
© 2020 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.