It's true.
February 14, 2020, the State Key Laboratory of Inhalation Diseases said that under the guidance of academician Zhong Nanshan, the laboratory, in conjunction with a number of research institutes, the latest development of a new type of rapid detection kit for coronavirus IgM antibodies, and has completed the initial evaluation in the laboratory and clinical.
It is reported that only need to take a drop of blood can be observed in 15 minutes to obtain the test results of the naked eye, and the patient's plasma diluted 500 to 1,000 times, can still be detected after a positive band. The kit was tested in a hospital in Hubei province, according to the State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Diseases.
By retesting blood samples from patients who were clinically diagnosed as positive for novel coronavirus infection (but negative for PCR nucleic acid), the kit detected a significant portion of (IgM) positives, suggesting that it could be complementary to nucleic acid testing.
Samples of the kit (for research use) have been sent in bulk to primary health care centers in Wuhan, Huanggang, and Daye, Hubei Province, to be used in conjunction with nucleic acid testing for testing and evaluating novel coronavirus infections.
Unprofessional practices may lead to different results
It is worth noting that the whole process of blood sampling and testing seems to be simple, and takes no more than a minute, but the process of disinfection, needle sticking, and stopping the bleeding still requires professional practices, and the video of the operator wearing standardized protective equipment, and the overall environment of the test is also hygienic and clean, so that the people on the The video also shows the operator wearing standardized protective equipment and the overall environment is clean and hygienic, which makes people suspicious of the claim that "you can operate at home".
Guangdong Medical Devices Association vice president and expert group member Xu Xiaoliang said in an interview with Times Business on Feb. 21, according to the regulations, the new coronavirus test kits currently on the market can not be detected outside of the medical institutions themselves, "the individual operation of the technical skills unprofessional easy to be dangerous in the process of blood collection, and the test results may be The results of the test may also be biased."
References: phoenix.com - One drop of blood, 15-minute results! New coronavirus rapid test kit can be operated at home?
Reference: Phoenix.com - Zhong Nanshan directs development of rapid test kit, results in 15 minutes from a drop of blood