Abstract: Objective Shanghai Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, as a tertiary class-A hospital in Shanghai, should be equipped with a P2 laboratory and above capable of nucleic acid testing and urgent procurement of nucleic acid testing equipment in case of epidemic. Methods After investigating the fundamentals of nucleic acid testing and comparing the performance of nucleic acid detectors, available space of the hospital, and the requirements of clinical departments, a plan that would best address the hospital needs was chosen. Results Purchasing an automatic nucleic acid extractor was selected as the best solution, as well as five aerosol adsorbers. They were placed in sampling points and PCR laboratories. The procurement was completed by June 10,2020. Conclusion The coronavirus detection can only be accomplished after understanding the fundamentals of nucleic acid testing, appropriate space layout,product performance comparison, and timely procurement of equipments.

Key words: Nucleic acid extractor, Covid-19, procurement, SARS-CoV-2