SYDNEY: Australian researchers have developed a test that can provide highly accurate Covid-19 readings in 20 minutes from a finger prick of blood. According to the research published on Wednesday, the point-of-care (POC) test developed by scientists from the Burnet Institute and the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity is the first of its kind in the world.

While many POC tests can estimate neutralising antibodies (NAb) based on the overall level of antibody to SARS-CoV-2, the researchers claim their test is the only one that measures NAb activity, which correlates with immune protection for Covid.

The researchers describe their breakthrough in the journal EBioMedicine, noting that the adaptable test can be used to determine whether a person has protective antibodies against a specific disease variant, such as Omicron.

Because of the rise of the Omicron variant, which early studies suggest may be up to 40 times less sensitive to patient NAb than Delta, some people will suddenly go from having enough protective NAb to not having enough. Associate Professor David Anderson, deputy director of the Burnet Institute, stated that the POC test could be used to quickly determine when a vaccine booster was required. "One of the key elements of the test is that it can work with finger-prick whole blood, which is critical if it is truly going to be used at point-of-care," Anderson explained.

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