COVID-19
testing protects
the Netherlands
SpoedtestCorona Case Study
With COVID-19 spreading fast across the Netherlands, start-up
SpoedtestCorona aimed to help protect the public by offering
faster and more affordable access to testing. To cut out costly
manual work involved in capturing the results of lateral flow tests
at mobile testing centers, the company developed an innovative,
automated software solution.
Running on robust, highquality Lenovo IdeaPad Duet
Chromebook devices deliveredby Google Partner Localyse, thesoftware sends photos of test
readings to a central team foranalysis, helping SpoedtestCorona
to process over 40,000 samples
per day quickly, accurately, andcost-effectively.
Founded in 2020 in Utrecht,
Netherlands, SpoedtestCorona
offers rapid, reliable, andaffordable testing for COVID-19.
By combining on-site antigen
testing with remote diagnosis bymedical experts, SpoedtestCorona
aims to deliver dependable results
within just 15 minutes—helping
people across the country to
rapidly confirm their COVID-19
status and go about their daily
activities with confidence.

Racing against time
When COVID-19 began to sweeparound the world in 2020, national
governments quickly realized thatmass testing would be a crucial
tool to identify local outbreaks
and prevent the virus fromoverwhelming healthcare capacity.
In the early months of thepandemic, rapid COVID-19 antigen
tests were developed and certified
by the World Health Organization.
These tests involve taking a swabof a person’s nose and throat,dissolving the sample in a liquid,
and then placing a few dropsof the sample into a lateral flow
device. Like a home pregnancy
test, the sample flows throughabsorbent material inside thedevice, which reacts with thesample to give a result. Within justFoundedin 2020

40,000samples
processed daily

15 minutes

for dependableresults

Without Chrome OS running on a top-notch hardware
platform like Lenovo IdeaPad Duet Chromebook, there’s
no way we would have been able to scale our COVID-19
testing services as quickly or efficiently as we have.
Bart Van Spitaels, CTO, SpoedtestCorona

15 minutes, the test will show theperson’s likely COVID-19 status
with greater than 90% accuracy.
Although lateral flow tests for
COVID-19 were already being
manufactured quickly and at
relatively low cost by mid-2020,
delivering access to rapid, effective
testing proved a tough challenge inmany countries around the world.
As the situation unfolded during
the first year of the coronavirus
outbreak, an ambitious group of
entrepreneurs and doctors in theNetherlands decided to join forces
to make testing more accessible
and affordable for people acrossthe country.
Bart Van Spitaels, CTO at
SpoedtestCorona, explains: “Weknew that proactive testing would
be essential to allow the country
to reopen. While a number ofcompanies were offering lateralflow tests in the Netherlands, theprices were extremely high—up
to €250 for a single lateral flow
test—and some took up to 48
hours to return results. If we could
find a way to make the tests bothcheaper and faster, we could playa role in preventing COVID-19
outbreaks and promoting thehealth and wellbeing of people
across the Netherlands.”

He continues: “Our vision was toestablish dozens of mobile testing
centers around the country, withtrained experts to administer
the tests. When processing large
numbers of lateral flow tests,
one of the main costs—andbottlenecks—is the labor required
to set a timer for each sample andrecord the results after exactly
15 minutes. If we could automatethat process, we could deliver
tens of thousands of tests per day
extremely cost-effectively.”

After a thorough review ofseveral potential platforms,
SpoedtestCorona engaged its
trusted Google Partner Localyse
to configure Lenovo IdeaPad
Duet Chromebook devices for
its software solution. Built on
Chrome OS, the Lenovo IdeaPad
Duet Chromebook tablets aremounted in a purpose-builtplexiglass stands, ensuring they
are always at the optimal distanceto take clear pictures of lateralflow tests placed beneath them.

Accelerating testing“When Localyse showed
the Lenovo IdeaPad Duet
Chromebook to us, we
immediately saw its potential,”
adds Bart Van Spitaels. “As well as
having an integrated, high-quality
camera, the Lenovo IdeaPad
has the performance to capture
crisp, detailed images quickly
and reliably, time after time.
Using a demonstration modelfrom Localyse, we sent the tablet
directly to our development
team to test out—and it worked
flawlessly. Localyse also helped
us to determine the optimal
configuration for the new tablets,
helping us to minimize the manual
work required to prepare newly
delivered devices for use in thefield.”

To achieve its goal, SpoedtestCorona
developed an innovative software
solution. After an employee adds
a sample to a lateral flow test,
the software waits for 15 minutes,
captures a photo, and then uploads
it to a secure online portal. Next, ateam of experts at the company’s
headquarters confirm whether theresult is positive or negative, andfinally the customer receives anemail or text message with results.
Bart Van Spitaels says: “To enable
us to take our software solution
off the drawing board and out into
the field, we looked for a hardware
platform that was rugged andsecure while also cost- and energy
efficient.”

Fighting backWorking together with Lenovo
and Localyse, SpoedtestCorona
deployed Lenovo IdeaPad Duet
Chromebook devices across all its
testing sites in the Netherlands.
Today, the company uses over
2,800 Lenovo IdeaPad Duet
Chromebook tablets at 200
locations across the country,
helping it to process over
40,000 samples per day quickly,
accurately, and up to 80% cheaper
than other providers.

With Lenovo IdeaPad Duet
Chromebook devices supporting
its services across the Netherlands,
SpoedtestCorona is achieving its
goal of making COVID-19 tests
cheaper and easier to access—ultimately helping to protect
people from the virus.

Bart Van Spitaels comments: “It’sreally quite incredible how quickly
we managed to get everything
up and running. Lenovo andLocalyse collaborated seamlessly
to clear all the hurdles in our way,
allowing us to take delivery of“Because we are constantly
2,500 tablets—pre-loaded withhandling sensitive information on
our software solution—within justour customers’ behalf, we greatly
two months. In more than 15 years
value that Chrome OS is securein IT, I can’t recall a project that’s
by design,” continues Bart Van
gone more smoothly. Not a single
Spitaels. “Out in the field, the only Lenovo tablet had a defect, andsoftware that runs on the devices
everything was ready to go rightis our proprietary solution—helping out of the box.”
to mitigate the risk of data loss.
To further enhance security, weSince it first partnered with Lenovo
manage every tablet remotelyand Localyse, SpoedtestCoronausing Chrome Enterprise, which
has grown to become one of thehelps to ensure that every systemcountry’s most trusted providers
is accounted for and up to date.
of rapid COVID-19 testing. TheIn fact, we manage an estate ofcompany now provides mass
thousands of Lenovo IdeaPad Duet testing for Dutch schools andChromebook devices with a lean IT businesses, and aims to deliver allteam of just three people.”results within 15 minutes.

“Without Chrome OS running on
a top-notch hardware platform
like Lenovo IdeaPad Duet
Chromebook, there’s no way wewould have been able to scale
our COVID-19 testing services as
quickly or efficiently as we have,”adds Bart Van Spitaels. “COVID-19
will continue to be part of our lives
for many years to come, so it’s
never been more important to test
people to stay one step ahead of
the virus. We’re currently exploring
the possibility of expanding ourservices to other countries in
Europe—and if we do expand into
additional regions, Lenovo will beour go-to partner.”

The Smarter Solution
The Right Features

A reliable, high-quality camera inside a cost- andenergy-efficient tablet fit the bill for fast field deployment

Secure By Design

Tablets run only proprietary software and aremanaged remotely to keep sensitive data safe.
Spoedtestcorona selectedthe Lenovo Ideapad Duet
Chromebook tablet to enable
their COVID-19 testing operation
to scale quickly and efficiently.

Critical Collaboration

Lenovo teamed up with Geo Square to pre-load thetablets with the necessary software, speeding time todelivery when every hour was vital.

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