Automotive parts supplier Bosch has started fighting the coronavirus pandemic by developing a rapid test for COVID-19.
Approved by the World Health Organization (WHO) and developed in partnership with Randox Laboratories Ltd., a Northern Irish medical technology company, it has an accuracy of over 95 percent and can diagnose a patient in under 2.5 hours – results normally take 1-2 days.
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The rapid test was developed in six weeks and is already available for the health system globally. In addition to the COVID-19, it can diagnose for nine other respiratory diseases simultaneously, including influenza A and B, saving further time that can mean the difference between life and death.
“The special feature of the Bosch test is that it offers differential diagnosis, which saves doctors the additional time needed for further tests”, said Marc Meier, President of Bosch Healthcare Solutions GmbH. “It also provides them with a reliable diagnosis quickly so they can then begin suitable treatment faster.”
Developed to be user-friendly, the test can be performed by medical personnel who has not had any special training. Everything starts with a sample taken from the patient’s nose or throat with a swab. Subsequently, the staff will have to insert the cartridge, which features the required reagents for the test, in Bosch’s Vivalytic device for analysis, and until the result is displayed, they can perform other tasks.
The company states that one device can perform up to 10 tests in 24 hours, so it has the ability to lift some weight off the shoulders of laboratories worldwide, which are already working at full pace.
