German technology giant, Bosch says it has developed a coronavirus test kit that delivers results in less than two and a half hours.
According to the company in a statement on Thursday, the fully automated rapid test kit is designed for use in hospitals, doctors’ offices and other health facilities.
Bosch says the test kit has an accuracy of over 95 per cent.
It is said to meet the quality standards of the World Health Organisation (WHO).
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At the moment, coronavirus testing takes about four to five hours in Germany, although the time taken between getting a sample and delivering a result can be longer due to external laboratories carrying out key work, according to the Robert Koch Institute.
The Bosch test would keep the entire process within a hospital or clinic.
The test, developed within six weeks, is to be made available in Germany in April and later in other countries.
According to a spokesperson, the required approvals for such a roll-out are still pending, although certain labs can access the technology already under certain circumstances.
It is not yet clear how much a test will cost.
The design involves an analysis component already on the market, called a Vivalytic device, which analyses a swab placed into an inbuilt cartridge, the statement said.