By Diagnostics World News Staff
February 26, 2020 | Credo Diagnostics Biomedical announced they are now finalizing a rapid point-of-care molecular test to detect the novel coronavirus (COVID-19).
To date, the novel Coronavirus has killed more than 2,000 people, with more than 75,000 confirmed cases worldwide.
Leveraging its real-time PCR point-of-care platform, the VitaPCRTM test will deliver results in 20 minutes with a hands-on time of 1 minute. With minimal training required, the solution is ideal for the near-patient and point-of-care settings, allowing efficient and rapid triage of suspected cases of the COVID-19, even in limited resources areas.
The assay will be available shortly while pending Emergency Use Authorization from the US FDA and Emergency Use Listing from the WHO.
“We know now that COVID-19 strain is a highly contagious disease which spreads rather quickly and more widely,” Sofiane Bennacer, Business Development Manager at Credo Diagnostics Biomedical, said in a press release. “If we are not careful, the number of patients rushing into the hospitals may collapse any medical system and strain limited human resources. Decentralizing tests outside of laboratories or increasing output in laboratories will significantly help the overwhelming demand for testing.”
The versatile platform can deliver rapid results without highly trained personnel, and increase daily testing capacity. The platform can be deployed in various settings such as clinical laboratories, hospitals, ER, clinics, pharmacies, and other high-risk locations, including airports and seaports, to meet various demands.
“We need to provide better tools for the medical personnel in the first line of defense. They should be equipped with more than thermal scanners. I believe rapid and accurate molecular screening of COVID-19 strain will better help contain the virus and allow early actions to be taken, thus preventing tragedies,” Dr. Winston Wong Jr., Chairman of Credo Diagnostics Biomedical, wrote in an official statement.