A New Device Tests For SARS-Cov-2 Within 15 Minutes, New Hope For Us

Dhir Acharya - Mar 27, 2020

A company claims they have developed a device that can test for the virus within 15 minutes, and it's less unpleasant than existing testing methods.

While the US is struggling to provide enough coronavirus tests for its people, a company in Britain says it has a finger-prick test that can tell if a person has the virus in just 15 minutes. This approach is more comfortable than the currently in-use tests and gives the result faster.

According to AlphaBiolabs, the company behind this new device, people can do the test at home or a healthcare worker can do the test as usual. Right now, the test used in the US involves a swab inside a person’s nose as well as the back of their throat, which is unpleasant. Therefore, a finger prick may be preferable to many people as it’s much less intrusive. Besides, a swab test may take days to produce a result and costs about Rs 11,300.

The new testing device from AlphaBiolabs

AlphaBiolabs managing director David Thomas said that the new test can help reduce the stress on the National Health Service (NHS) of Britain by reducing the number of people relying on it.

He added that the new device can detect SARS-Cov-2 without relying on NHS or clinics. From recent studies, a large proportion of positive cases don’t show symptoms, making the spread of the virus a major operational and logistical problem for businesses because there’s no way to predict how long the epidemic will last or how it will affect the world.

Covid 19 Test Kit Coronavirus — A current test kit

Thomas additionally said that the new device will benefit HR departments at companies as they can easily and quickly know which employees are infected with the virus and need to be quarantined. Since a lot of firms can’t afford to let their staff work from home, this will be really helpful.

Meanwhile, public health professor Howard Forman at Yale says that it’s vital that we ensure the tests in use are good. Of course, no one wants to use a test that’s not accurate. Right now, researchers, scientists, health agencies around the world are racing to find a cure, a vaccine, and continuously improve tests for the SARS-Cov-2. We hope that their efforts will pay off and help the world escape this nightmare. For now, the best we can do is stay inside and do what we can to stay safe.