The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kharagpur has developed a low-cost portable COVID-19 testing device. This device can deliver results within an hour and it has also received certification from the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).
According to the report, named ‘Covirap’, the device has been validated by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR). The researchers are now in talks with manufacturers to market the product. It may be mentioned here that the device has a sensitivity of 94 per cent and specificity of 98 per cent. Further, the device is almost as accurate as of the gold-standard reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test.
Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ said. “This innovation has made high-quality and accurate COVID testing affordable for the common people with a testing cost of around Rs 500 which can further be reduced through government intervention." The minister further stated that this machine can be developed at a cost of less than Rs 10,000 with minimal infrastructural requirement making the technology affordable to common people. The testing process in this new machine is completed within one hour. This device would go on impacting the lives of many in rural India as the device is portable and can be operated on a very low energy supply. Minimally trained rural youth can operate this device.
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