MGI COVID-19 Container Lab Put to Test, Safeguarding the World Figure Skating Championships

STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN，Mar. 26, 2021 -The weeklong ISU (International Skating Union) World Figure Skating Championships (the Championships), an Olympic qualification event, is held in Ericsson Globe arena in Stockholm, Sweden from 23rd to 28th of March. The world's top figure skaters from around the world have travelled to Sweden to compete for the title of world champion in men's singles, ladies' singles, pairs, and ice dance. The event is the largest sporting event in the country since COVID-19 was declared a pandemic in early 2020.

After last year's cancellation due to Sweden's restriction on mass gatherings, the stakes remain high for an international sporting event on such a scale as the trajectory of rapidly rising cases and deaths continues in many regions in the country. The national authority has taken extra measures to manage the largest crowd since pandemic. MGI's innovative COVID-19 Container Lab, a mobile COVID-testing package specifically designed for fast mass testing, has been put to "test", providing COVID-19 testing for all the participants attending the Championships. All travellers, including athletes and their staff members, need to present a negative COVID-19 result no more than 48 hours prior to travelling to Stockholm and will undergo a further test upon arrival attending the Championships, are being closely monitored to ensure a COVID-safe event. Three positive caseshave been identified to date by the ISU during a round of testing within the competition bubble, but the infected individuals have not been named due to privacy.

Despite the precautionary restrictions like quarantine, social distancing and mask wearing and no physical spectator, the participants' excitement runs high just like pre-COVID. Instead, millions of enthusiastic spectators continue to enjoy the competitions via TV or streaming online from the comfort of their homes. This is one step closer for the Swedish people to return to the "new normal".

According to Medical, the official appointed testing service provider, ten (10) people are working around the clock on site to perform the tests. It is estimated that approximately 2,500 tests will be performed during the 1.5-week- event.

The mobile laboratory, built in a 12-meter shipping container, consists of three main cabins including reagent storage, sample preparation, and testing. The state-of-the-art Biosafety Level 2 laboratory is capable of processing 3,000 patient samples per day. The automation system, including sample scanning, transfer and viral RNA extraction, eliminates the risk for the laboratory technicians getting infected during the process. The highly automated easy-to-use system minimises the labour requirement and it only requires three technicians to manage the entire workflow, whilst a traditional pathology lab would need a dozen technicians to process the same number of samples.

The modular laboratory package is particularly useful for the mass testing applications, such as in the airports, ports, and train stations where high volumes of travellers need to get tested for COVID-19. Christian Lund, Medical's project coordinator said, "it usually takes about 48 hours to get the results but thanks to this system we can promise to our customers to deliver results in 4.5 hours."

The fast turn-around makes it possible the health authority to manage the crowds safely and efficiently. The Sweden Container Lab system, supplied by MGI Latvia, MGI's European research and development base, was delivered to Stockholm in late January.

MGI (MGI Tech Co., Ltd.), a member of BGI Group, is committed to enabling effective and affordable healthcare packages for all. Based on its proprietary technology, MGI produces sequencing devices, equipment, consumables and reagents to support life science research, medicine and healthcare. MGI's multi-omics platforms include reagents, medical imaging, laboratory automation and genetic sequencing. Providing real-time, comprehensive, life-long packages, MGI's mission is to develop and promote advanced life science tools for future healthcare. For more information please visit MGI website or connect us on Twitter or Linkedin.