Chinese scientists have claimed to have developed a new COVID-19 test that gives results within four minutes. 

Researchers from Fudan University in Shanghai have said that the test is as accurate as the Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tab tests – considered the gold standard of detecting the presence of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.

However, PCR tests, which are being used across the world to confirm cases, take hours to show results.

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The researchers explain that the new test uses tiny mechanical components made of DNA combined with microelectronics to examine genetic material in a swab sample and change it into an electrical signal. The results are shown on a digital device – either a phone or a computer – to which the test is connected, according to a report in South China Morning Post.

The findings of the peer-reviewed study have been published in the journal Nature Biomedical Engineering. 

“We implemented an electromechanical biosensor for the detection of SARS-CoV-2 into an integrated and portable prototype device, and show that it detected (virus RNA) in less than four minutes,” the paper read.

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The researchers compared the new device with PCR tests and looked at samples from 33 COVID positive people. The results showed a ‘perfect’ match between the findings of the two tests, they explained in the paper. The team also checked for the possibility of the test giving false positives, by collecting samples from people who had symptoms like fever, but were negative for SARS-CoV-2. The new device, again, showed the correct results, according to a report by AFP.

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Once it is introduced, the test could allow quicker detection of the virus and help with faster treatment protocol for COVID-19 patients. The researchers believe it could be used at hospitals, airports, and even at home. 

Apart from taking longer to show results, PCR tests also require labs and infrastructure. While rapid diagnostic antigen tests do exist, their efficacy remains low.