The researchers at University of California – San Diego are putting into works a test that could immediately detect COVID-19 using droplets from a person’s facial mask.
The strip would attach to an individual’s face mask as a sticker. It would then collect particles from the person’s breath, changing colors depending on the results. Researchers report that It is very similar to a pregnancy test.
Professor and Lead Principal Investigator, Jesse Jokerst, said to “think of it as a surveillance approach, similar to having a smoke detector in your home.” “This would just sit in the background every day and if it gets triggered, then you know there’s a problem and that’s when you would look into it with more sophisticated testing.”
The thought is that a person breathes through the mask, droplets will accumulate on the test strop. When a person changes their masks or take it off, the individual can then run the test using a substance that makes the strip change color.
The strip will then detect “protein-cleaving molecules, called proteases, that come from the infection of SARS-CoV-2 Virus.
“In many ways, masks are the perfect ‘wearable’ sensor for our current world, Jokerst stated. “We’re taking what many people are already wearing and repurposing the, so we can quickly and easily identify new infections and protect vulnerable communities.”
According to news reports, The National Institutes of Health provided $1.3 million to help fund the research project. The goal is to have developed a test that will provide “simple affordable and reliable surveillance from Covid-19 infections that can be done daily and easily implemented in resource-poor settings.”
A testing period has started on patients and healthcare workers at Veterans Affairs San Diego Healthcare System.
This past Sunday, the United States has surpassed more than 25 million confirmed cases of COVID-19 since the pandemic initially began.
This is a grim reminder of the coronavirus wide reach in the U.S., which has seen far more confirmed cases and deaths than in any other country worldwide.
The country’s first case of the infection was diagnosed almost exactly a year ago.
