A team of Ontario researchers say they’re working on a 30-minute home-based COVID-19 test that could hit the market soon. John Brennan, director of the biointerfaces institute and professor at McMaster University, says the concept is to come up with something new that offers an alternative to current lab-based tests that take days to get results. “Because all of the tests require sample collection, followed by sending it to a central lab, there are delays of up to 10 days to get answers back,” said Brennan.
The new test uses a different method of identifying infection than the current nasopharyngeal swab kits which require the subject to endure a swab through to the back of their nose, according to researchers.