New Covid Test by China gives results under 4 minutes

Chinese scientists have developed a new Covid test. They say that is accurate as a PCR lab test but gives results within four minutes.

People world-wide consider polymerase chain reaction tests the most accurate and sensitive for the virus that causes Covid-19. But they usually take several hours.

Some countries have experienced severe backlogs in the face of heavy testing demand. The explosive spread of the highly transmissible Omicron variant has fuelled its demand.

Researchers from Fudan University in Shanghai say they have a new covid test.

In a peer-reviewed article published Monday in the journal Nature Biomedical Engineering, the team said:

"Their sensor can reduce the need for time-consuming Covid lab tests. The sensors uses microelectronics to analyse genetic material from swabs."