New Aussie Developed Covid Test Delivers Accurate Results In 30-Minutes

Covid Tracker: April 13

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Australian scientists have developed a new Covid test that can return a result within 30 minutes with 98 per cent accuracy.

The highly sensitive test, about to be trialled on FIFO workers at Perth airport, has the potential to reduce the impact of stronger variants, or even future pandemic events according to researchers.

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Published in Nature journal's Scientific Reports last week, the research suggests the new screening system can run 4,000 tests per hour.

Senior author and head of genetic epidemiology research at Western Australia's Perron Institute and Murdoch University, Professor Sulev Koks, said the method delivers faster results than the PCR and more accurate than a RAT.

The program, known as Sentinel was developed by WA company Avicena Systems, has the ability to test for Covid strains and other contagious viruses.

"We can actually adjust it for any kind of infectious disease," Prof Koks said.

"That was why we actually failed with COVID at the beginning, because we didn't have this information."

Considered by experts to benefit "niche" areas and industries like airports, where accuracy and a tight turn-around is essential, Dr Koks said we "need this information … to plan ahead."

Meanwhile, Covid cases and hospitalisations across Australia and New Zealand look like this:

Western Australia