COVID-19 Testing Kits
The role of testing for COVID-19 is necessary to detect a possible new wave of viral infections. Testing is important than advising people to stay at home with mild symptoms, as it may lead to more infections in the household and community. The infection rate would multiply if confinement restrictions are lifted without taking other measures to suppress new infections. Tracking infected people by testing would make sure that they do not spread the disease further. When it comes to testing various countries are pursuing different strategies. The World Health Organization supports widespread testing.
Coronavirus Cases Continue to Surge Overwhelmingly Worldwide
As the cases of coronavirus infection continue to surge, most governments deploying a strategy of real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction wherein the DNA samples from the suspected person with the DNA sample of the virus is compared. The swab test is the most preferred. Currently, China and Singapore prioritizing serological tests. These tests allow detecting the infection. As no one have immunity to the virus, people are susceptible to the virus. Moreover, government funding for more tests is propelling the demand for COVID-19 testing kits. Furthermore, to increase the efficiency and accuracy of the disease testing, research and development have been intensified.
Abbott received emergency use authorization for the fastest available molecular point-of-care test for detecting novel coronavirus by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) which delivers positive results in five minutes and negative results in 13 minutes. As the test kit is small in size, it can be used in more non-traditional places. Also, the company is ramping up its production to deliver 50000 ID NOW COVID -19 tests per day.
Roche’s Cobas SARS-CoV-2 test received FDA Emergency Use authorization, to detect novel coronavirus. The cobas will significantly increase available testing capacity. The company expedites test development to contain the virus at an early stage of infection. Roche’s fully automated cobas® 6800 and cobas® 8800 Systems, which are widely available in the U.S. and around the world allow hospitals and laboratories to run the tests.
