Effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the activity of clinical laboratories in Spain, evolution in the 2019–2021 period

Objectives To assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the activity of clinical laboratories in Spain. Methods A descriptive, observational, retrospective, multicenter study. Results Between March and December 2020, there was a statistically significant decrease in the number of test requests (−17.7%, p=1c (−24.7%) tests performed, p Conclusions There were changes in the origin and number of test requested to clinical laboratories in Spain. The number of requests for the evaluation and monitoring of COVID-19 patients increased, whereas requests for the control of non-COVID patients and for population screening decreased. Long-term analysis reveals that the volume of tests performed for the control of chronic diseases returned to normal over time, whereas the increase observed in the volume of tests performed for the management of COVID-19 patients is maintained.