Could new testing kits solve the mystery of COVID-19 transmission by silent carriers?
A researcher works on the diagnosis of suspected coronavirus COVID-19 cases in Belo Horizonte, state of Minas Gerais, Brazil, on March 26, 2020
Researchers in the United Kingdom have developed a new type of test which can detect COVID-19 in less than 30 minutes.
The test has been developed in collaboration between Brunel University and the University of Surrey.
Pocket-friendly and effective
The technology is based on hand-held hardware which costs a little over $120. The swab kit itself costs $5 per person, TechCrunch reported.
Similar techniques have been long used in the Philippines to test chickens for viral infections. Now, it is being employed to test even humans!
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Mass production of the kits shall be underway soon.
However, this does not imply that the kits will be readily available to use. In fact, pending regulations from regulatory bodies like the FDA are necessary.
However, researches displayed confidence in the response they’re expecting across the health bodies.
They also believe that it could be available for use within a few weeks.
These kits save a lot of time and money by diagnosing the patient on a smartphone, eliminating the need of a lab-based approach, whereby the nasal or throat swabs are connected to a hardware which is battery-operated.
Such methods of on-site testing and diagnoses have been employed by companies like Cepheid and Mesa Biotech. However, their machines require a trip to the lab, which are expensive and shoot up the testing costs.
The only edge this new testing method has over pre-existing modes is its cost-friendliness, for it runs on hardware that is not exorbitantly priced.
The best part: it can test up to six people at one go!
Such ready-to-go tests could help decrease the panic across all professional arenas.
What makes it different from other testing methods?
Similar tests have been developed and are currently in use across Europe and China. However, those have a drawback: they only respond to the presence of antibodies, ie, their diagnosis is based on the body’s reaction to the virus.
However, this test, can effectively identify viral DNA even in the absence of antibodies, which makes it more reliable.
With many organisations claiming that dormant carriers (asymptomatic patients) can use this to ascertain their status and avoid risking infection to at-risk groups.
With no clear idea of how many dormant carriers are responsible for the transmission, this could provide some really useful data on the transmission of COVID-19.