New cheap and rapid coronavirus test that works in 15 minutes could be rolled out to screen travellers and restart international travel

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Australian researchers have designed a 15-minute COVID-19 test which could provide a silver bullet for the country's internal travel and border woes.

University of Technology Sydney scientists say they have developed a sensitive saliva test which can pick up SARS-CoV-2 viral fragments in less than 15 minutes.

With a hard border in place in Western Australia and travel restrictions of varying severity implemented across Australia's other states, the researchers say rapid COVID-19 testing could boost virus detection and help in the screening of travellers.

Australian researchers have developed a 15-minute saliva test (pictured) that could help screen travellers and restart international travel

Australian researchers have developed a 15-minute saliva test that could help screen travellers and restart international travel

It could also be useful in hospital, aged care and employment settings.

The test prototype is set to be manufactured in Perth and would cost less than $25 per unit. Laboratory trials are expected to begin before Christmas. 

The most widely used diagnostic tool for COVID-19 - in Australia and around the world- is PCR (polymerase chain reaction) testing, where nose swabs samples are taken and sent to labs for analysis.

The process typically takes several hours to generate results and requires complex equipment and trained technicians. 

UTS' Dr Dayong Jin said in a statement on Monday that the new test was sensitive enough to detect the presence of as little as a trillionth of a gram of SARS-CoV-2 viral fragments.

'A person with COVID-19 may be contagious 72 hours before starting to show symptoms. With the sensitivity of our optical technology, we aim to identify the viral protein in saliva from asymptomatic but already infectious patients,' Dr Jin wrote.

'This would allow for much more effective contact tracing and rapid discovery of pockets of disease before it is transmitted to others.'

Current Covid-19 tests in Australia (clinic pictured) require nose swab samples be taken to undergo hours of laboratory processing

Current Covid-19 tests in Australia (clinic pictured) require nose swab samples be taken to undergo hours of laboratory processing 

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