Abbott ID NOW: 5 minute point-of-care test for Covid-19
abbo.tt
abbo.tt
* It works on isothermal amplification [1] rather than temperature-cycling PCR, so it's much faster.
* It detects the viral RNA directly, so it should be detecting pretty much the same thing as existing PCR-based tests, just much faster.
* It's the same platform as a flu test. Obviously the Covid-19 version was done in a rush, so it might not be quite as good, but the sensitivity and specificity rates for influenza are amazing: sensitivity above 95% and specificity near 100%. If the numbers for Covid-19 are close, I can see why Gottlieb is calling it a game changer.
I really have to be impressed by our collective technical ingenuity, both the scientists figuring this stuff out in near real-time, equipment manufacturers such as Abbott who can do this, and of course the front-line health providers.
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loop-mediated_isothermal_ampli...