MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Israeli developers announce 20-second covid detecting test they hope to see at airports

The easy-to-use SpectraLIT machine would yield results in 20 seconds

An Israeli developing firm Wednesday announced the creation of a test kit that would eliminate the need for complex lab equipment to detect the presence of Sars-Cov-2 and yield results in just 20 seconds.

The company said it received European approval for its invention and hoped these new kits will be soon used at airports worldwide to boost a quick return of international passenger air travel.

The easy-to-use SpectraLIT machine would allow airport staff to measure passengers and have their results in 20 seconds.

“The system, which is being piloted at 36 hospitals worldwide, received European Medical Devices Directive approval for a swab version of its test, which allows it to start rollout across the European Union,” The Times of Israel reported.

However, the type of tests has raised doubts about their accuracy. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) says they are “less sensitive and less specific than typical molecular tests run in a lab.”

Eli Assoolin, who led the development team, said he now expects the swab version and gargle version of his test to be widely rolled out, including at airports, in the coming months. “We think that the mouthwash test will soon be a solution that is widely used across the world.”

The test was developed by Assoolin’s company Newsight together with Sheba Medical Center under the freshly formed Virusight Diagnostic. “Virusight’s artificial intelligence is actually a diagnostic platform for many potential cases of pathogen diagnosis, able to change the way the world deals with pandemics,” he said.