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Prenetics, a company based in Hong Kong, has been working on a new COVID-19 test that can produce rapid results. And after the latest studies from Oxford University, the test could return results in 30 minutes or less.
Other highly-accurate tests — meaning those that do not have a high percentage of false positives — can take hours to return results.
“After months of intense work alongside with Prenetics, they are in no doubt the perfect partner to quickly roll out the Oxford rapid test at scale, and help society resume a more normal way of living and productivity,” Zhanfeng Cui, an Oxford professor and Oxsed co-founder, said in a statement.
The company is reportedly also in talks with international airports to provide rapid testing.
From the New York Post:
Prenetics says it has already set up a testing site at Heathrow Airport in London to screen passengers before their flights. The company also launched a trial of the test — which costs $15 to $20 before labor and other costs are added — last week at Hong Kong International Airport to compare it to the PCR method, Yeung told CNBC.
The coronavirus mainly comes from animals and a majority of those who were infected early either worked at or frequently visited the Huanan seafood wholesale market in Wuhan, according to The Guardian. The virus is similar to Severe acute respiratory syndrome (Sars) and Middle Eastern respiratory syndrome (Mers).
The Wuhan coronavirus is transmitted from person to person through “droplet transmission.” That means an infected person can pass the virus by sneezing or coughing on another person as well as by direct contact.
While a majority of the cases have been detected in the United States and China — with more than 9.28 million confirmed cases and 231,000 deaths in the United States — it has now reached many countries around the world. It has also been confirmed in Italy, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, and many other eastern countries.
