Chinese university develops 15-minute test kit for coronavirus detection
China’s Nankai University expects its newly-developed coronavirus rapid test kit to be used in the epidemic prevention and control soon – the northern Chinese university’s Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) IgM/IgG antibody detection kit was developed alongside a group of experts from other Chinese universities and biopharmaceutical companies. The Nankai test kit requires a shorter testing time then detection reagents used at present – it can identify infection within 15 minutes – and provides easier and faster operation; the university adds that the test kit also enables rapid diagnosis and on-site screening of suspected patients or close contacts. Rapid test kits are currently being researched by various sources in China to meet the fast-growing needs of the quick testing on suspected patients and asymptomatic infections.
The latest COVID-19 situation report by the World Health Organization (WHO), as of Feb. 19, records 74,280 confirmed cases in China as well as 2006 deaths. While a number of Chinese research teams are developing or have developed rapid testing products for the coronavirus, WHO is working to estimate key epidemiological parameters for COVID-19, including its incubation period and case fatality ratio.