Luggage-Size Covid-19 Breathalyser For Emergency Use Has Results Comparable To Antigen Rapid Tests
A Covid-19 breathalyser test with the ability to provide diagnostic results in three minutes has won emergency-use authorisation from the United States’ Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the agency announced on Thursday (April 14).
The device is about the size of a piece of carry-on luggage, the FDA said, and works by detecting chemical compounds in breath samples associated with Sars-CoV-2 infection.
The breathalyser’s sensitivity is comparable to that of antigen rapid tests, studies show.
The test detects chemicals associated with the virus that causes the disease in a breath sample, and if it’s positive, it should be followed up by a molecular test, the agency said in a statement.
“Today’s authorisation is yet another example of the rapid innovation occurring with diagnostic tests for Covid-19,” Dr Jeff Shuren, director of the FDA’s Centre for Devices and Radiological Health, said in the…
