What are rapid diagnostic tests and why are they important?
Tags: Testing, Science, Covid 19 Testing, Biotechnology

Why rapid detection is important in a time where infectious disease is becoming more common

What is rapid diagnostic testing?

Rapid diagnostic tests (RDT) are quick field tests that can be performed in under 30 minutes and detect the presence of a pathogen quickly and accurately. Rapid results enable health care workers to make informed decisions quickly and protect the lives of their patients at the community level. They are especially valuable for preliminary screening in medical facilities where resources are limited or lab testing is inaccessible. Current RDT’s include testing for malaria, cholera, HIV, Strep, among others. RDT are especially important in low-resource settings because it allows for prompt testing to be done without the need for extensive lab tests that could take days to get results. Additionally, they are typically non-invasive, making it even easier for health workers to learn and use it as part of their toolkit.

What does this mean for coronavirus?

Currently, COVID-19 testing is done with standard testing techniques that require sophisticated lab equipment and take up to days to receive results. Current testing that takes 72+ hours to process allows an infected patient to further spread the virus before they know they are infected. Having access to rapid diagnostic tests that would be able to deliver results within the hour would make it easier to slow the spread of COVID-19 as people would be able to know if they are infected immediately and quarantine themselves for the safety of those around them. This is much faster than the government tests that are currently being used and would also require less technical lab training, easing the stress on lab technicians processing the current tests.

From a global health perspective, COVID-19 has hit many vulnerable populations who already have limited access to essential resources. Yemen is currently going through one of the worst humanitarian crises in history — on top of the sociopolitical struggles within the country, many people are being displaced from their homes and living in extremely troubling conditions. Limited access to clean water and hygiene have spurred a massive cholera outbreak that is only made worse by COVID-19. People are afraid to seek medical help because of COVID-19 and general aid funding is being depleted rapidly. Current rapid detection methods are reactive in that they help diagnose people once they are already showing symptoms. This is extremely important for diagnosing diseases that are communicable and highly infectious such as COVID-19. However, diseases such as cholera can be easily prevented by not drinking contaminated water. This is where preventative care becomes really important for at-risk populations. Having access to a rapid disease detection platform that can test environmental samples would allow community health workers to assist their communities efficiently

OmniVis’ current solution is focused on cholera detection in water samples. However, with the recent news of the National Science Foundation Phase 1 grant for COVID-19 rapid detection solutions, we are excited to join this fight to develop quick and accessible diagnostics for everyone.

Read more about COVID-19 Rapid Testing:

Rapid Diagnostics for COVID-19 : https://www.wsj.com/articles/race-is-on-to-create-rapid-covid-19-tests-for-the-fall-11590494400

Cholera and COVID-19 in Yemen: https://www.insider.com/aid-groups-yemen-worry-cholera-overlooked-covid-19-cases-rise-2020-7

Want to learn more about OmniVis? Visit us: https://www.omnivistech.com/