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Singapore Gives Green Signal To COVID Breath Test, Will Deliver Results In One Minute
Writer: Madhusree Goswami
A mountain girl trying to make it big in the city. She loves to travel and explore and hence keen on doing on-ground stories. Giving the crux of the matter through her editing skills is her way to pay back the journalism its due credit.
Others/World, 25 May 2021 2:28 PM GMT
Editor : Palak Agrawal |
Palak a journalism graduate believes in simplifying the complicated and writing about the extraordinary lives of ordinary people. She calls herself a " hodophile" or in layman words- a person who loves to travel.
Creatives : Madhusree Goswami
A mountain girl trying to make it big in the city. She loves to travel and explore and hence keen on doing on-ground stories. Giving the crux of the matter through her editing skills is her way to pay back the journalism its due credit.
The test works like a standard breathalyzer test where a person blows into the one-sided valve to create a 'breath signature' which is then analysed to detect the virus.
Detection of COVID-19 would be possible with a breath test that has been designed to provide the results in one minute. The breath-analysis test was approved in Singapore.
Called the 'BreFence Go COVID-19' breath test system, it has been developed by Breathonix, a spin-off company of the National University of Singapore (NUS), reported Bloomberg.
A spin-off company is when an existing organisation separates a part of its section and creates a new business.
The Mechanism
According to reports, it works like a standard breathalyzer test where a person blows into the one-sided valve (to prevent cross-contamination) to create a 'breath signature'.
The test is designed to identify volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in an individual's exhaled breath. VOCs are produced by biochemical reactions in the human cell. As the VOCs signature (breath signature) of a healthy person's breath differs from an ill person, any change in the organic compounds would be considered markers for diseases such as COVID-19, reported Medical Device Network.
A machine learning software assesses the VOCs biomarkers and delivers results within 60 seconds.
The Cost
The test will sell for S$5 ($3.80) to S$20 each, said Du Fang, the company's Chief Executive Officer (CEO).
The Use
Preliminary reports mention that the test would play a crucial role in restarting the country's travel industry which contributes significantly to the economy. It will use the test in a trial process to screen incoming travellers from Malaysia. Anyone who tests positive would have to undergo an RT-PCR test.
Also Read: ICMR Approves Home-Based COVID Testing Kit: All You Need To Know
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