https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-02-beijing-returnees-quarantine-virus-death.html------------------------------
Q&A: Testing for coronavirus in Chinahttps://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-02-qa-coronavirus-china.htmlHow does China test for COVID-19? ...
Who qualifies for testing? ...
Why is Hubei counting differently? ...
What are the key challenges to testing? ...
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New Technology May Significantly Reduce Diagnostic Time of Coronavirushttps://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-02-technology-significantly-diagnostic-coronavirus.htmlUsing a new technology developed by Dr. Amos Danielli, of the Alexander Kofkin Faculty of Engineering at Bar-Ilan University, saliva tests can be analyzed within 15 minutes. The technology has already been proven to reduce the diagnostic time of Zika virus and is currently being used in the Israel Ministry of Health's central virology laboratory at Tel Hashomer Hospital.
Dr. Danielli's lab has developed a technology for sensitive detection of virus-specific RNA sequences by attaching the virus' RNA to a fluorescent molecule that emits light when illuminated by a laser beam. At very low concentrations of RNA, the signal emitted is so low that existing devices cannot detect it. "If we think of the saliva of a corona patient filling an entire room, then this laser beam can be compared to the size of a fist and at low concentrations of virus RNA, there might be only 2-3 fluorescent molecules within that fist," explains Danielli. Adding magnetic particles to the solution enables them to adhere to the fluorescent molecules. This enables a greater concentration of fluorescent molecules and a much more accurate measurement.
By properly positioning them, we were able to create a strong magnetic field and collect all the thousands of fluorescent molecules from the entire solution and aggregate them inside the laser beam, thereby multiplying the signal strength by several orders of magnitude.
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not instrument agnostic ... fishing for investor)
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Are Coronavirus Tests Flawed?https://www.bbc.com/news/health-51491763There are deep concerns laboratory tests are incorrectly telling people they are free of the coronavirus.
Stories in several countries suggest people are having up to six negative results before finally being diagnosed.Meanwhile, officials in the epicentre of the epidemic, Hubei province, China, have started counting people with symptoms rather than using the tests for final confirmation.
In the US, meanwhile, Dr Nancy Messonnier, of the the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, says some of its tests are producing "inconclusive" results.
... One possible explanation is the tests are accurate and the patients do not have coronavirus at the time of testing
"Maybe they weren't infected when first tested. "Then, over the course of time, they became infected and later tested positive for the coronavirus. That's a possibility."
... Another option is the patients do have the coronavirus but it is at such an early stage, there is not enough to detect. "But that doesn't make sense after six tests," Dr MacDermott says.
... Alternatively, there could be a problem with the way the tests are being conducted. There are throat swabs and then there are throat swabs.
... A final option is the RT-PCR test for the new coronavirus is based on flawed science.
In order to develop the test, researchers must first pick a section of the virus's genetic code. This is known as the primer. It binds with the matching code in the virus and helps bulk it up. Scientists try to pick a region of the virus's code they do not think will mutate.
But if there is a poor match between the primer and the virus in the patient, then an infected patient could get a negative result.
At this stage, it is impossible to tell exactly what is going on so lessons for other countries are unclear.
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Experts Explain Necessary Respiratory Protection for COVID-19http://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-perspective/2020/02/unmasked-experts-explain-necessary-respiratory-protection-covid-19... Bruce Ribner, MD, medical director of the Serious Communicable Diseases Unit at Emory University Hospital, said the two masks [surgical masks vs N95 respirators] serve very different functions. A surgical mask, or procedural mask, is meant to protect the environment from the wearer.
"It's meant to keep the surgeon's respiratory issues away from a patient," Ribner explained. A surgical mask does a good job of trapping large droplets, and some aerosol transmission, he said. Many of the masks being worn in China, though, are not designed for medical use or to any standards and so their effectiveness in trapping droplets is unknown.
A respirator, such as an N95, fits tighter to the face and is meant to help protect the wearer from inhaling infectious droplets in the environment.
"We don't really know how the coronavirus is being transmitted from person to person, because no one has done the NIOSH studies that simulate the cough big droplets that land 3 to 6 feet away from a person or the little droplets that can travel long distances and in air handling system," Ribner said. "So we have to use what we know about other coronaviruses and influenza when it comes to this disease."... Though Chinese officials said earlier this week that they believe the coronavirus is transmitted only via droplets, implying they do not believe airborne or contact transmission plays a role, Milton said that statement is likely rooted in fear, not science.
"You cannot tell the difference epidemiologically between something aerosol transmitted by weak sources and large droplet spray," said Milton. "They behave so similar, it's very hard to pick up the difference."
He said he suspects the capability of long-distance transmission with COVID-19 will be connected to source strength, or how symptomatic a person is.
.... "If we have a person who is shedding nCoV in the environment, the best way to stop transmission is to stick a surgical procedure mask on them," Ribner said. "In the best of all worlds, anyone coming into the room with an nCoV patient would wear a respirator."