Staff profile - Meet Malinna Yeang

Malinna Yeang from NSW Health Pathology, has been actively involved in the diagnostic testing of COVID-19 specimens and shares her experience with us.

What is your role at NSW Health?

I am a scientist trained in molecular virology, working as a research assistant on whole genome sequencing of enteroviruses collected statewide, under the supervision of Professor William Rawlinson at the Virology Research Lab, NSW Health Pathology Randwick.

How are you involved in the COVID-19 response?

In January I moved from the research laboratory to the Virology Diagnostic Laboratory, with Anna Condylios and Zin Naing, to develop molecular tests for SARS-CoV-2, doing the first test on 27 January.

The test we developed was one of the first Australian real-time in-house Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays for detecting SARS-CoV-2 RNA. I am now actively involved in current diagnostic testing of COVID-19 specimens for molecular, serology and whole genome sequencing work.

What have you found challenging in your role?

Creating a simple and definitive work-flow for the thousands of COVID-19 specimens processed and tested each day in the laboratory has proved to be the most challenging. It has taken multiple trials to refine a system that will ensure patients and clinicians receive accurate COVID-19 results, at the same time as we continue to improve laboratory testing.

Have you ever been involved in anything like this before?

I've never been a part of the front line, let alone involved in anything of this magnitude. I recall the 2009 influenza pandemic, but had not witnessed a global health issue which has resulted in large-scale panic and strictly enforced preventative measures.

What has kept you going?

Being able to be outdoors and see family and friends are some of the things I am looking forward to once the pandemic is under control.

What’s your biggest learning to date?

Teamwork. Without my colleagues working efficiently we wouldn’t have been able to successfully test the thousands of specimens (not only for COVID-19) that come to the laboratory every day. We all have a single mindset and the focus is on helping each other at the different stages of specimen processing and testing. With this approach, we can ensure that the COVID-19 results are reported in a timely manner.

You have good insights into what’s happening with the pandemic. What do you tell family and friends when they ask?

Keep calm, stay home, and most importantly, no need to panic buy. I remind them that this is a new strain of coronavirus and we are discovering new facts about the virus in parallel to testing.

Preventative measures such as basic hand washing and pysical distancing is what I stress most in terms of containing the spread. I also keep my family and friends in the loop on how the laboratory responds to the volume of specimens that are collected and processed each day.

What’s your message to colleagues across the system?

A big thank you to every single person in the healthcare system - the laboratory technicians, specimen processors, doctors, nurses, delivery drivers, cleaners, and many more.

‘Respect... you're our new front line soldiers’ is a comment one of my colleague's siblings had sent her. I think this comment bodes well with all members of the healthcare system in not only this current pandemic, but also the work we do everyday.