Israeli scientists develop rapid home COVID-19 test

By Trend

Israeli scientists have developed a rapid and simple coronavirus detection method that requires only saliva sample, reagents, and a thermal cup, the Israel Institute of Technology (Technion) in northern Israel said Thursday, Trend reports citing Xinhua.

This simple home test, developed by researchers from the Technion, produces results in less than an hour and does not require lab analysis.

According to the team, further development can make this method as mass testing kit in workplaces, households, nursing homes, airports and more.

The new test's reliability was measured using 200 biological samples from confirmed coronavirus patients and patients suspected of infection with the virus.

In the new method, the saliva sample is immersed in a test tube containing the reactive material and then in the thermal cup with hot water. If the color of the reaction changes, that indicates the presence of the coronavirus.

The researchers found that, when tested on standard swabs, in medium and high concentrations of the virus, the test identifies 99 percent of the cases.

"The new test is expected to primarily increase the scale of testing in the community and will enable the population to be surveyed faster and on a much wider scale," the researchers concluded.