BEIJING: A new Chinese-developed technology can return novel coronavirus test results within five to 10 minutes with a simple exhalation of breath, eliminating uncomfortable throat or nostril swabs and long waits.
According to a study published recently in the Journal of Breath Research, an academic journal based in the United Kingdom, Chinese scientists and researchers have developed a noninvasive rapid screening test for COVID-19 by analyzing breath-borne compounds.
The technology was developed by a team led by Yao Maosheng, a professor at Peking University’s College of Environmental Sciences and Technology, together with colleagues from the center for disease control and prevention in Beijing’s Chaoyang district. The research team has applied for a national patent for the new system. Yao said that because SARS-CoV-2 infection causes changes in metabolism, the composition of exhaled breath of COVID-19 patients was different from that of others. He said that analysis of 12 key organic compounds could discriminate COVID-19 from other subjects with 91 to 100 percent accuracy. To take the test, people only have to exhale into a disposable plastic bag for 30 seconds or less. Compared with nucleic acid tests, such screening is cheaper and faster.
– The Daily Mail-China Daily News exchange item
