New test looks for definite negativity for COVID-19

코로나 검사법의 역발상..음성 여부 먼저 가려낸다

When a coworker or neighbor tests positive for the COVID-19 virus, …even those without symptoms have to be isolated as suspected patients.
Now, Korean researchers have found a way to quickly test if these people are free from the virus.
Park Se-young has more.
A 19-story building in Seoul was shut down and hundreds of workers had to self-isolate on Monday, …after a cluster of confirmed COVID-19 cases were identified at a call center in the building.
For cases like this, Korean researchers have developed a method to check for COVID-19 negative people among those without any symptoms.
The team created a small gene that looks for the COVID-19 virus and tested for responses at four parts of the virus at the same time.
If all four parts are unresponsive, the person is COVID-19 negative.
If one part is responsive then there is a chance the subject might have COVID-19 and will require further testing.
This new method differs from the current method of analysing one or two parts of the virus to determine positivity.
The new testing method can be applied at medical institutions …and thousands of laboratories at universities and companies across the country.
"It's an easy procedure that can be done at any laboratory, university lab, research lab, public health center or hospital in Korea."
Because the test takes about four hours and the cost is about one-ninth that of a test for positive diagnosis, …the new testing method is expected to reduce anxiety and help suspected patients quickly return to their normal lives.
Park Se-young, Arirang News.

#COVID #test #coworker