Home test kit for COVID-19 developed in UK offers you results in 30 minutes
The biggest question perhaps in the minds of the millions under lockdown in a variety of countries is this: MUST I risk likely to a hospital to check for the coronavirus COVID-19 if I have a fever or cough? Now, with a new home test kit developed by researchers in the UK, individuals can test themselves in the home, once the device is manufactured commercially available.
The test kit contains a battery-operated handheld device which processes nasal or throat swabs inserted into it and gives the results in a matter of thirty minutes on a smartphone iphone app that it connects to.
The test originated by teams from three universities in the UK, Brunel University London, Lancaster University and University of Surrey.
Cost
The cost of every individual test, the researchers say, would be around £4 or about Rs 350. Initial reports in India pegged the cost of tests available at Rs 4,500, whereas recently it has come down to Rs 500.
As for these devices itself, the price is pegged at £100 (a little less than Rs 9,000), if produced commercially. The team has approached manufacturers in order to mass produce the test kit, at the mercy of approval from regulatory authorities including the United States’ FDA (Food and Drug Administration), the European Medicines Agency, and UK’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).
Research
The researchers modified existing test kits to create it suitable to check for the SARS-Cov-2 virus which causes COVID19. The technology is based on a test that is used for checking the spread of viruses in chickens in the Philippines.
Existing tests already approved for use from companies such as for example Cepheid and Mesa Biotech need the support of healthcare facilities, where their micro-labs could be set up. They are not well suited for home use. The test kit produced by the united kingdom scientists has that advantage over the existing ones. It is economical on top of that, with each device having the capability to test up to six persons or a sizable family at once.
“Normally, anything such as this (test kit) would need to proceed through clinical trials,” Brunel University London’s Professor Wamadeva Balachandran was quoted as saying on the Brunel University website. “But this is simply not a normal situation. In line with the Imperial College model, this (coronavirus pandemic) might last for 18 months. And cases will rise over the next few months.”
The researchers say the test kit can be made available to the public after regulatory approval within only a few weeks.
“Speed is vital. With local hospitals’ help, we aim to execute a limited amount of tests with available negative and positive samples, Professor Balachandran was quoted as saying.
Science
How does the test work? THE UNITED KINGDOM test is more advanced than the tests already used in the EU and China, which search for antibodies in the nasal and throat swabs. The antibodies indicate the occurrence of the virus within the body.
The UK test looks for the viral DNA itself in the samples. That's, it recognises the DNA structure of the virus to recognize its presence. It’s a primary test, instead of an indirect one where in fact the occurrence of antibodies points to the occurrence of the virus.
In this way, it really is more important diagnostically, as it could identify the virus in even those who show no symptoms at all.
That is especially significant considering that we are actually learning of community transmissions which may have occurred in people with no history of contact with an infected person.
For instance, this test could possibly be used first and foremost by doctors. As doctors examine hundreds of patients each day, they are at the best risk of contracting COVID-19. However, many of them might not exactly show symptoms. If all the doctors test themselves with this device, the infected persons among them can be identified before the onset of symptoms and treated in isolation. This would prevent patients from potentially catching the infection from the doctors.
What’s more, if this test kit becomes widely available, thousands of folks under lockdown could test themselves. It would not only give a truer picture of the amount of infections in a country, but also draw out the extent of community transmissions.
