Pillar 5.National Laboratories
Step		Actions to Be Taken	Responses and Plans
1	1	Establish access to a designated international COVID‑19 reference laboratory	- Pasteur Institute of Iran - West health center laboratory for IUMS 16-hour and 24-hour health centers
	2	Adopt and disseminate standard operating procedures as part of disease outbreak investigation protocols for specimen collection, management, and transportation for COVID‑19 diagnostic testing	Sampling, storage, and transfer guide for the COVID-19 Health Reference Lab. was introduced.
	3	Identify hazards and perform a biosafety risk assessment at participating laboratories use appropriate biosafety measures to mitigate risks	Performed by regional deputies of treatment
	4	Adopt standardized systems for molecular testing, supported by assured access to reagents and kits	Performed in selected COVID-19 hospital laboratories
2	5	Ensure specimen collection, management, and referral network, and ensure procedures are functional	Specimen collections were monitored daily
	6	Share genetic sequence data and virus materials according to established protocols for COVID‑19	None
	7	Develop and implement plans to link laboratory data with key epidemiological data for timely data analysis	Data were transferred to the MoHb portal and the SIB c platform daily
	8	Develop and implement surge plans to manage increased demand for testing, and consider conservation of lab resources in anticipation of potential widespread COVID‑19 transmission	Supply and demand were estimated every week based on the national Communicable Disease Office guidelines.
3	9	Monitor and evaluate diagnostics, data quality, and staff performance, incorporate findings into the strategic review of the national laboratory plan, and share lessons learned	This was performed by the Technical Officer of each laboratory
	10	Develop a quality assurance mechanism for point-of-care testing, including quality indicators	RT-PCR point of care quality testing was not performed.
Additional	11	Collaborating organizations	Pasteur Institute of Iran, Health Reference Laboratory of Ministry of Health