Coronavirus: New 90-minute Covid test gives “very accurate” results, British scientists say

new Coronavirus test Developed in the UK, it produces “very accurate” results in just 90 minutes, and is favored by scientists as a potential game changer to control a pandemic.

High-speed tests, which do not require a laboratory and are performed using cartridges smaller than mobile phones, are available to NHS staff and patients. Imperial College London..

The “Covid Nudge” high-speed test device has been shown to have over 94% sensitivity and 100% specificity. This means that there are few false negatives and no false positives.

So-called cartridge devices are currently in use at eight hospitals in London and will be rolled out at the national level in the coming weeks. Boris JohnsonThe government recently ordered 5.8 million devices.

“These results suggest that tests that can be performed at the patient’s bedside without the need to work with sample materials are as accurate as standard laboratory tests,” a study from the Infectious Diseases Department said. Said Professor Graham Cook, the lead author of. Imperial College London.

“Many tests involve a trade-off between speed and accuracy, but this test manages to achieve both. Developing an effective bedside test in less than three months is an engineer, It was an amazing collaboration between a team of clinicians and virologists. “

To use one of the tests at the patient’s bedside, insert the patient’s nasal swab into the device and look for traces of genetic material belonging to the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes Covid-19.

Compared to the results of traditional coronavirus tests performed in the laboratory, the results are available within 90 minutes and can take at least 24 hours.

Professor Cook suggested that while the new testing equipment is particularly useful in hospitals, it can also play a role in testing people in community environments such as schools, offices, care facilities, sports and cultural events.

However, this technique still requires clinically trained people to use it to analyze the results and has not yet been improved for home use.

“We don’t value it at home,” Cook told reporters at a media briefing. “It will play an important role, especially in the medical setting. I think it could play a specific role. [other] It’s an area, but it’s not the answer to the huge number that is being tested daily. “

Professor Cook embodied the idea that the device was the answer to the prime minister’s “monthly” call for rapid testing, adding that “I think this is an important contribution to the big picture.”

Last week, Johnson said he hopes British scientists can flip the results “in 90 or 20 minutes” and develop tests that can be deployed on a large scale.

Professor Cook said thousands of devices manufactured by Dna Nudge, a startup unit at Imperial College London based in western London, will be sent to NHS hospitals in Oxford, Manchester and Birmingham for use by staff for patients. ..

Professor Christuma Elephant, CEO and co-founder of DnaNudge and founder of the Imperial Institute of Biomedical Engineering, said the device “has great potential for large-scale group trials during the Covid-19 pandemic. Providing sex. “

The Chief Executive Officer said: “This platform is suitable for primary care and community testing for use in non-medical facilities such as long-term care facilities, schools, transportation hubs and offices. Theaters and venues.”

Professor Toumazou further states: “But further research is needed before widespread deployment of its actual effectiveness in non-clinical environments.”

Dr. Bob Clubber, Head of Strategy, Research and Innovation at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, said Covid Nudge devices play an important role at least in reducing turnaround times for results within healthcare services.

“Returning accurate results to the clinician and his patients as soon as possible makes a big difference,” he said. “I am very much looking forward to expanding this more widely.”