question: In 2019, in the city of Wuhan, China, patients were diagnosed with a novel coronavirus originally named 2019-nCoV, currently known as SARS-CoV-2 The alarming expansion of this pandemic makes it necessary to find out and implement reliable diagnostic methods in order to properly detect and treat patients, thus contributing to slowing down the spread of the disease It is extremely important to have trained professionals in sample collection, good clinical laboratory practices, and molecular and hematological techniques to adequately detect any cases of infection with this virus Moreover, standardized protocols are essential for obtaining, transferring and storing samples to stop the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2 (English) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] En 2019, en la cuidad de Wuhan, China, se detectaron pacientes infectados con un nuevo coronavirus denominado 2019-nCoV, hoy SARS-CoV-2 El alarmante crecimiento de esta pandemia hace necesario conocer e implementar métodos de diagnóstico confiables para detectar y tratar adecuadamente a los pacientes, lo que contribuirá a frenar la propagación de la enfermedad La necesidad de tener profesionales entrenados en la toma de muestras, en las buenas prácticas de laboratorio clínico y en el manejo de técnicas moleculares y hematológicas es de suma importancia para identificar adecuadamente la infección con este virus La estandarización de los protocolos de obtención, traslado y almacenamiento de la muestra es igualmente relevante para detener la expansión de la pandemia de COVID-19 causada por el SARS-CoV-2 (Spanish) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Revista Horizonte Médico is the property of Universidad de San Martin de Porres and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use This abstract may be abridged No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract (Copyright applies to all Abstracts )