NI firm develops faster Coronavirus test

Randox scientists have developed a test that tells the difference between Coronavirus and nine similar viral strains, in just two weeks.

The unique test, a world first made possible by the Crumlin company, dramatically reduces testing time for COVID 19 to between three and five hours and can also differentiate between the new strain of Coronavirus and other less lethal respiratory infections with similar symptoms.

Dr Peter FitzGerald, managing director of Randox Laboratories, said: “Current technologies for the diagnosis of Coronavirus are designed simply to detect the presence or lack of COVID-19, and therefore neglect to differentiate between this strain and other respiratory infections.

“Whilst we’re very quickly developing an efficient novel test for this new strain of Coronavirus, we are therefore also working on an extended Viral Respiratory Infection Array that will test simultaneously for COVID-19 and a range of other viruses.’’

Coronavirus has spread to numerous countries since first detected in the Chinese city of Wuhan just weeks ago.

The death toll has now reached over 1,300 people, the vast majority of them in China.

Randox said it is in talks with governments and Ministries of Health about how they can aid in their countries’ response to COVID-19 with the new test.

Dr FitzGerald added: “Randox is committed to saving and improving lives on a global scale, and as such we hope that this new COVID-19 test will help us to learn more about coronavirus and how it affects people, what countries can do to respond, and importantly, diagnose those affected at the earliest possible stage, so that symptoms can be treated and contamination limited.”