A new coronavirus test can detect infection in as little as five minutes and be used in almost any healthcare setting because of its small size and portability.
You may also like:GE Healthcare Takes Additional Actions to Help Clinicians Combat Coronavirus
As John Frels, vice president of research and development at Abbott Diagnostics, said in a comment to Bloomberg, starting 1 April, the company will supply 50,000 tests a day. The test detects fragments of the coronavirus genome, which takes only five minutes when it’s present at high levels. To definitively rule out an infection can take up to 13 minutes.
The test is based on Abbott’s ID Now platform, which is a common
point-of-care test currently available in the U.S. (over 18,000 units nationally).
The platform is used to detect influenza, strep throat and respiratory
syncytial virus. For the test, a nasopharyngeal swab is
taken, which is then mixed with a chemical solution to release virus’s RNA. The
mixture is inserted into an ID Now system, a small lightweight box, which
identifies and amplifies select sequences of the coronavirus genome and ignores
contamination from other viruses.
Abbott also provides another testing system, m2000 RealTime, to diagnose the infection. The system can analyse up to a million tests a week, but it takes longer to get the results.
Other companies and research teams are also rolling out faster testing
systems. For example, a team from the University of Oxford’s Engineering
Science Department and the Oscar Suzhou Centre for Advance Research (OSCAR) has
developed a COVID-19 test which produces highly accurate results in half an
hour and only requires a standard heat block to work. Henry Schein Inc. is
offering an antibody rapid blood test, known as Standard Q COVID-19 IgM/IgG
Rapid Test, for administration at the point of care. The test delivers results
within 15 minutes from a pinprick with no instrumentation required.
If you want to share your experience and perspective on COVID-19, please do.
If your company is interested in engaging with our COVID-19 community, please send us anemail.
Image credit: iStock
