Indonesia invents breath-based COVID-19 detector

Indonesian researchers have invented a tool to detect COVID-19 infection through a patient's breath.

The tool, called GeNose C19, had received a distribution permit from Indonesia’s Health Ministry on Dec. 24, and will soon be mass-produced, said Research and Technology Minister Bambang Brodjonegoro.

"We are going to boost the device for being publicly used so that economic activities could run smoothly, while also preventing potential transmission of the virus, Bambang asserted in a virtual news conference Monday.

A research team at Gadjah Mada University has been developing the GeNose C19 for over the past nine months, the minister added.

Minister Bambang said this tool would only be used for rapid detection purposes, adding that the diagnosis of a case would remain to be confirmed through PCR test results.

So far, the detection of COVID-19 has depended on rapid antibody and antigen tests imported from abroad, the minister said.

The Health Ministry will be testing the validity of GeNose C19 at the Health Research and Development Agency to ensure its accuracy before incorporating it into the COVID-19 inspection ecosystem.

"The test is to make it more accurate and the level of trust in domestic products is also better," said Deputy Health Minister Dante Saksono.

(c) Anadolu Agency

News.Az

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