Coronavirus Catapults Global Testing Innovation
In a manner of weeks a number of US companies have announced FDA approvals for new testing procedures to be rolled out across the country.
Just 2 days ago, the CDC announced that all 50 states now had drive thru testing centers, allowing worried patients the comfort of not having to leave their car.
A month ago it seemed almost impossible to acquire a Coronavirus test and in the last week we have seen two new testing methods come to market.
Last weekend, California-based molecular diagnostics company Cepheid announced that the FDA had approved their test for hospitals and clinics that would allow for rapid testing, with conclusions available in just 45 minutes.
Hoping to supersede Cepheid’s progress, Brazilian medical tech firm Hi Technologies that manufacturers portable labs has been working to finalize their 15 minute test that could be available around the world in a few weeks. Hi’s founder Marcus Figueredo, wants the tests available around the world by mid-April. The mini testing kits will retail for $25, but will be much cheaper for governments, healthcare providers and non profit organizations according to Figuerdo.
Superseding Hi’s progress, Abbott laboratories received emergency approval from the FDA just yesterday for their new 5 minute Coronavirus test. Abbott announced that “it expects to deliver 50,000 tests per day beginning next week.”
Abbott is utilising technology for the test that is already being used in the testing marketplace, PCR (polymerase chain reaction). The test looks for genes that are also present in the virus. Furthermore, the testing kit is very light, weighing only 6.6 lbs and could be shipped to doctor’s offices around the world. The device will have a negative readout in 13 minutes, but a positive Coronavirus test will only take 5 minutes.
FDA Commissioner Steve Hahn said in a statement, "I am pleased that the FDA authorized Abbott's point-of-care test yesterday. This is big news and will help get more of these tests out in the field rapidly. We know how important it is to get point-of-care tests out in the field quickly. These tests that can give results quickly can be a game changer in diagnosing COVID-19."
Just yesterday, California biotech firm BodySphere announced that their 2 minute Coronavirus test was granted approval. The FDA has "issued Emergency Use Authorization for the test which uses antibodies blood to test for current or past infection. The tests have a 91% clinical specificity rate and a 99% clinical sensitivity rate. " The drawback of this test is that the patient must have carried the virus for several days to be detected by the test. A patient who acquired the virus in the 72 hour period before administration of the test occurs will have their reading come back negative. This is one huge advantage the Abbott test has over the BodySphere test.
Harvard Business Review reported that a number of nonprofits and governmental agencies are looking into making at home testing available for widespread use. A patient could facetime with a doctor who could then authorize the test, which would be mailed to your home.
Perhaps there will be an app eventually for the sole purpose of testing for COVID-19. The technology might not be available today, but with our speed of innovation, it might come sooner than we could imagine.
Spain Suffers Under Coronavirus
Data, Models & Misinformation on the Coronavirus
Coronavirus Travels the Silk Road
Coronavirus Attacks Italy's Sick and Elderly
Is the New Coronavirus Drug a Cure?
What is the Mystery of Germany's Low Coronavirus Fatality Rate?
The World Will Be More Technologically Advanced After the COVID-19 Pandemic
Why has the Coronavirus Not Exploded in Japan?
Italy's Coronavirus Death Rate is Falling
Coronavirus Speeds Up Robotic Revolution
Economic Depression Will Destroy More Lives Than Coronavirus
Can Hydroxychloroquine be Used to Treat Coronavirus?
Northern Italy & Wuhan: Partners for Better or Worse
The Race for the Coronavirus Cure
How Did Taiwan Manage the Coronavirus so Well?
What is the US Coronavirus Fatality Rate?
Travel Ban Saves Airlines Billions
Deep Learning Detects Coronavirus
Singapore's Coronavirus Patients Have a 0% Mortality Rate So Far... Why?
AI is Mapping the Coronavirus and Inferring its Possible Economic Impact
Interview with NASA Astronaut Scott Kelly: An American Hero
13 Questions With General David Petraeus
Why Choose Machine Learning Investing Over A Traditional Financial Advisor?
Interview With Home Depot Co-Founder Ken Langone
Interview with the Inventor of Amazon's Alexa
Automation and the Rebirth of American Retail
China Debuts Stealth Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicle
Sweden's Economy Embraces AI & Automation
Austria's Automated Ai & Robotic Future Is Now
Nuclear Submarines: A 7,000 Lb Swiss Watch
Ai Can Write Its Own Computer Program
On Black Holes: Gateway to Another Dimension, or Ghosts of Stars’ Pasts?
Egypt's Artificial Intelligence Future
Supersonic Travel: The Future of Aviation
Shedding Light on Dark Matter: Using Machine Learning to Unravel Physics’ Hardest Questions
When High-Tech Meets Low-Tech Economy: Ai & the Construction Industry
Aquaponics: How Advanced Technology Grows Vegetables In The Desert
The World Cup Does Not Have a Lasting Positive Impact on Hosting Countries
Artificial Intelligence is Transforming the Forex Market
Do Machines Dream? Inside the Dreams of a Machine
Can Ai Replace Human Ski Coaches?
Faster than Sound and Undetectable by Radar
The Implications of Machine Learning on Condensed Matter Physics & Quantum Computing
Crafting Eco-Sustainability: WTC and Environmental Sustainability
Argentina's AI Future: Reversing a Century of Decline
Tennis & Artificial Intelligence
Peru's Ai Future Will Drive Economic Growth
The Colombian Approach to the AI Revolution
How AI Can Explain Its Thinking
Brazil & Artificial Intelligence