3 COVID-19 testing kits to be released

BATM is planning to release three new COVID-19 testing kits to improve diagnostic efficiency in the detection of respiratory pathologies including COVID-19. BATM Advanced Communications Ltd is a leading provider of solutions for cybersecurity, networking, bio-medical and bio-waste treatment. They are expected to release the kits at the end of the third quarter of 2020.

Each of the COVID-19 testing kits are designed for a specific kind of testing. The different types of tests are serologic, molecular, and antigen tests.

Serologic

Serologic tests are made to detect the presence of antibodies against a certain microorganism, and determines whether the person has been exposed to it. The newly developed testing kit however allows not only to check for the presence of antibodies in the blood, but the quantity as well.

This type of test was developed after medical research suggested that antibodies acquired after exposure to the virus may be low and decline over time.

With a test like that, healthcare authorities can better understand the dynamic of how the antibodies work, the factors that determine their amount, how much is needed to count as ‘immune’, and how fast the antibodies deteriorate.

Antigen

The company has upgraded its capabilities of detecting certain genes in a microorganism to up to 5 genes – most other existing tests have from 1 to 3. The new kit allows the detection of the S gene, which is a protein that the virus uses to attack cells in the human body.

 This is important because the COVID-19 cells contain this protein in both large and small quantities, meaning the likelihood of detection increases significantly. As well, the likelihood of falsely diagnosing someone as having the virus or not.

Molecular diagnostics

Molecular diagnostics test kits are capable of testing for multiple pathogens at once, and can distinguish between all known major pathogens, as well as bacteria. Detectable pathogens include all strains of COVID-19, in addition to the flu and common cold, which would help people stop having major corona-scares every time they cough.

COVID-19 testing kits are perhaps the most important thing that governments can invest in right now. One of the greatest challenges has been to develop vaccines that are safe and effective in a timely/consistent manner. For now, mass testing is all we have to help mitigate the spread of the virus.