Dubai begins trials for 60-second Covid-19 breath test

  DUBAI - Clinical trials for a breath test to detect Covid-19 cases within 60 seconds have begun in Dubai to assess its accuracy, according to the Dubai Health Authority (DHA) on Saturday (March 13). The clinical trials are being conducted at the DHA’s health care centre in Nad Al Hamar. A total of 2,500 volunteers are involved in the trials. The breath test reportedly gives results within 60 seconds after a person blows into a disposable mouthpiece connected to a breath sampler. The exhaled air is collected into a breath sampler and then analysed by a mass spectrometer. The result is released within one minute. “The whole process of breath collection to diagnosis takes less than a minute,” the DHA announced, calling it a “game-changer”. “This kind of rapid diagnosis has a potential to be a game-changer in the global fight against Covid-19,” said Dr. Hussain Al Samt, Director of Pathology and Genetics Department at DHA. “It will drastically reduce the time taken to get the results, in comparison to the presently available testing methods such as a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test,” said Dr. Nada Al Mulla, director of the DHA’s Nadd Al Hamar Primary Healthcare Sector. “The breath test for screening Covid-19 is highly efficient for mass screening, especially in areas of high (density)," Al Mulla added. The test was developed by Breathonix, a subsidiary of the National University of Singapore. ICA/Expat Media
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