COVID-19 Flow Cytometry Resource Page

UWCCC Flow Cytometry Laboratory COVID-19 Operations Plan

Goal:  To provide the services expected from our shared resource lab/core so that essential research can continue in a manner that is as safe as possible, and mitigates risk for all involved.

COVID-19 is spread from person to person before symptoms are present therefore, we MUST:

• Limit Number of Physical Interactions

WITHOUT PHYSICAL DISTANCING

WITH PHYSICAL DISTANCING

• Maximize Distance 200 sq ft of space per person at a MINIMUM. https://intranet.med.wisc.edu/2020/07/01/research-reboot-phase-2/
  • 6 foot distancing should be maintained whenever possible.

• Wear Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
  • Wearing a mask alone can reduce the amount of airborne particulate.

• Minimize Time
  • Even with PPE, the more time individuals spend in a shared space, the greater the chance of transmission.
  • Lab side air is exhausted, office side is recirculated.

• Face to Face Meetings
  • Limited to less than one hour.
  • Face Masks and 6 foot distancing maintained whenever possible.
  • Every effort to minimize the necessity of these meetings will be attempted.
  • Flow Lab Staff may request that customers contact other staff working at home via email, phone, or Microsoft Teams (or other web meeting platform).

• Disinfect common areas often
  • According to the CDC, the virus can remain viable on the surfaces for several hours.https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMc2004973

We will follow these considerations to mitigate the risk of exposure to COVID-19 for our staff and our customers as follows:

1. The Flow Lab at WIMR has been reorganized to maximize physical distance between customers.
   1. Thunder has been moved from 7018D to 7018E.
   2. Lightning has been moved from 7018D to 7018C.

      

2. Instruments will operate on staggered schedules.
   1. No more than one person in in each “area” at a time.
      1. Example: If LSR is booked, Fortessa must be blocked.
   2. Keep doors closed at all times.

      

3. One customer per instrument during an appointment. NO EXCEPTIONS.
   1. Physical distancing cannot be maintained unless this is followed.
4. The UW Genetics and Biotechnology Building remains closed to customers.
   1. The Attune NxT V6 “River” is not available for customer use.
5. Staff will operate in pairs of two, on staggered schedules, on 2-week rotations.
   1. AH and DS, AB and KF (see UWFlow WIMR COVID-19 SOP)
   2. LN and ZS will be at Biotech Facility (see UWFlow Biotech COVID-19 SOP)
   3. This allows for mitigation of potential transmission and further lab shut-downs.
6. PPE will be worn by staff and customers at all times.
   1. Staff
      1. Masks, Gloves, and Lab Coats and while sorting
      2. N95 Masks, Gloves, Lab Coats, Tyvek Sleeves and Face Shields if a clog occurs while sorting human samples and the operator needs to open the sash on the BSC/BioBubble.

• Masks, Gloves, Lab Coats while prepping/cleaning

1. Customers
   1. Masks, Gloves and Lab Coats (provided by Flow Lab) donned in the hallway before entering the Flow Lab.

      

https://pubs.acs.org/doi/pdf/10.1021/acsnano.0c03252

7. Surfaces will be disinfected before and after each appointment and routinely throughout the day.
   1. Blocks will be added to the schedule as needed.
   2. 62-71% Ethanol, 0.5% hydrogen peroxide or 0.1% sodium hypochlorite have been proven to deactivate the virus in under 60 seconds according to the CDC.

https://www.epa.gov/pesticide-registration/list-n-disinfectants-use-against-sars-cov-2

8. All instruments will remain on a 24hr advanced booking requirement in order to manage the number of customers and staff in the lab at any one time.
9. Key card reader will remain active 24hrs a day.
   1. Customers must be granted access by the Flow Lab.
   2. The entry log from the card reader will be checked daily.
10. Sorting will have additional requirements for the customer.
    1. There will be minimal, if any, face to face contact between the sort operator and customer.
       7016. Samples will be dropped off on the desk outside 7016.
       7017. Secondary and Tertiary containment must be used.
             1. Secondary containment must be a plastic bag for tubes or Tupperware for plates.
             2. Tertiary containment must be a Styrofoam cooler/Igloo cooler or equivalent that can be sprayed with disinfectant.

• Customer will call the flow lab when they have left and the samples are ready for the operator to pick up.
  1. If this is a new experiment and customer must help set gates, sort operator will wave customer in when they are ready.
  2. If this is a repeat experiment, customer will inform flow staff in appointment reservation of a previous gating strategy to follow.

1. Operator and customer will communicate via text, phone, and images uploaded to the server during the appointment to ensure customer satisfaction.
2. When finished, operator will disinfect secondary and tertiary containment, return sorted samples to the desk outside the flow lab, and call the customer to pick up their samples.

   

https://de065k6q0yws1.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/sites/25/2020/05/EHS-BIO-GUI-006-V01.pdf

 

11. Instrument assistance, training, and troubleshooting will be handled via Microsoft Teams.
12. All Intro to Flow classes will continue to be held via WebEx.
13. Research Lab approvals should specifically list use of the Flow Lab.
    1. PIs must acknowledge that using a core facility increases risk to their employees and to the core facility staff.
    2. PIs must acknowledge that access to core facilities will be severely limited during the COVID-19 Pandemic, and that not all requests can be accommodated.