About NPC
National Pandemic Center (NPC) at Karolinska Institutet was started up in March 2020 as a COVID-19 diagnostic laboratory at the Centre for Translational Microbiome Research (CTMR). The aim was to support Swedish health care with large scale analysis of COVID-19 by nucleic acid detection of SARS-CoV-2, i.e., PCR-testing, in a critical situation where testing capacity in Sweden did not match the increased demands caused by the pandemic. Since 2021, large scale whole genome sequencing (WGS) of SARS-CoV-2 constitutes the main activities at NPC, contributing to the national surveillance of the virus evolution under agreement with Public Health Agency of Sweden (Folkhälsomyndigheten).
Due to these tasks, NPC has received COVID-19 samples from all over Sweden, and thereby enabled a centralized national sample collection. During 2022, NPC was also appointed as a national COVID-19 diagnostic preparedness laboratory by Folkhälsomyndigheten. Since the start of the pandemic, NPC has conducted over 600 000 diagnostic PCR-tests; over 130 000 WGS; and now has over 1.5 million samples stored. Through these tasks, NPC has established well-functioning collaborations and logistic chains with the Swedish regions, and productive cooperations with different stakeholders within healthcare, governmental agencies, and academia.
Today, NPC has a platform that can offer large-scale laboratory competence and infrastructure, with a possibility to support health care with diagnostics and laboratory capacity in health crisis.
NPC is also involved in research projects with the aim to further understand SARS-CoV-2. Working closely with academic, governmental, and private institutions as collaborators, NPC is developing and researching different methods to identify the virus and improve available knowledge and tools within the field of diagnostics and surveillance.
Data from NPC Diagnostic Pipeline 2020
Between March 2020 to December 2020, NPC analyzed over 600,000 samples by high throughput PCR-based analyzes (not serological / antibody-based). All graphs can be found on: https://covid19dataportal.se/data_types/health_data/npc-statistics/
Total NPC Test Numbers
The total number of SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) tests run at NPC since the start, split up into positive, negative and invalid / inconclusive results.
NPC Test Numbers - Daily
The number of SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) tests run daily split up into positive, negative and invalid / inconclusive results.
NPC Test Numbers - Weekly
The number of SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) tests run weekly split up into positive, negative and invalid / inconclusive results.
NPC Tests Positive Fraction - Daily
The fraction of daily SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) tests that are positive, as percent of all tests (excluding invalid / inconclusive).
NPC Tests Positive Fraction - Weekly
The fraction of weekly SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) tests that are positive, as percent of all tests (excluding invalid / inconclusive).
Cumulative NPC Test Numbers
The sum of all SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) virus tests run at NPC since the start, as a function of date, and split up into positive, negative and invalid / inconclusive results.