Amid coronavirus scare has come a ray of hope with German-based multinational technology company, Robert Bosch, claiming that it has invented a fully-automated test that diagnoses respiratory pathogens, including COVID-19, in less than two-and-a-half hours.
The test, working on Bosch Healthcare Solutions’ Vivalytic analysis device, can be performed directly at points of care — eliminating the need to transport samples. Patients may also be isolated on site, reducing the ability of the virus to spread further, said the company in a statement. The device can be used in all medical institutions, and meets quality standards issued by the WHO.
It can perform ten tests per 24 hours, and can be used by medical workers who have not specifically trained with it before. The company will debut the test at its Robert Bosch Hospital in Stuttgart, before seeking other use cases, said the statement.
“The special feature of the Bosch test is that it offers differential diagnosis, which saves doctors the additional time needed for further tests. It also provides them with a reliable diagnosis quickly so they can then begin suitable treatment faster,†says Marc Meier, president of Bosch Healthcare Solutions.
“We want the Bosch rapid COVID-19 test to play a part in containing the coronavirus pandemic as quickly as possible. It will speed up the identification and isolation of infected patients,†says Dr Volkmar Denner, chairman of the board of management of Robert Bosch.
“Infected patients can be identified and isolated faster,†Bosch Chief Executive Officer Volkmar Denner said in a statement. To develop the test, Bosch teamed up with Northern Irish medical equipment maker Randox Laboratories Ltd, its partner on Vivalytic.
Detection of Covid-19 is the key to stemming its spread. In countries like Germany and South Korea, where testing was robust early on, fatality rates have been comparatively lower than in Italy and the US where slow testing helped fuel the disease’s explosive growth.
