A breathalyser tool that could detect COVID-19 in two minutes has undergone a successful trial.
Researchers at Indonesia’s Gajah Mada University say the device is a pain-free test and simply requires patients blow into a tube.
The breath sample would then be tested for volatile organic compounds related to the COVID-19, with an average accuracy of 93%.
Indonesia’s Health Ministry has approved the distribution of a COVID-19 breathalyser, named GeNose.
Lead researcher Kuwat Triyana said: “With a batch of 100 devices we will soon distribute [to hospitals and labs], we hope we will be able to do 120 tests per device, or 12,000 tests per day.
“The 120 estimate is based on the three minutes required to test each subject, which includes [blowing into the device], so in one hour the device can test 20 people if it functions for six hours.”
The findings come after figures revealed England now more Covid-19 patients in NHS hospitals in England than during the peak of the first wave in April, new figures have revealed.
The NHS England data shows there were 20,426 patients in NHS hospitals in England as of 8am on Monday, compared to the 18,974 patients recorded on April 12.
The number of further lab-confirmed cases of COVID-19 recorded in a single day in the UK also hit a new high of 41,385 as of 9am Monday, according to Government figures.
Dr Yvonne Doyle, medical director at Public Health England, said: “This very high level of infection is of growing concern at a time when our hospitals are at their most vulnerable, with new admissions rising in many regions.”
The figures come amid warnings that hospitals in the South are facing a rise in pressure due to the increasing number of coronavirus patients.
Salisbury District Hospital is under “intense and significant” pressure as staff deal with numbers of Covid patients only seen at the height of the first wave in April.
The hospital urged only those enduring a “genuine emergency” to seek help at A&E.
Hospitals in Gloucestershire are “extremely busy” dealing with more than 200 Covid-19 patients for the first time during the pandemic.
Saffron Cordery, deputy chief executive of NHS Providers, said: “We know that the rate of Covid-19 admissions is rising and some trusts are reporting up to three times the number of Covid patients than at the peak of the first wave.
“This means hospitals and also ambulance services in Tier 4 areas and beyond are incredibly busy, compounded by increasing staff absences due to illness and the need to self-isolate.”
