Ceiling-mounted COVID-19 alarm can detect if someone infected by the virus is nearby. The researchers claim that the result is as accurate as a gold-standard PCR test.
SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA - SEPTEMBER 15: South Korean commuters wear protective masks as they crowd after getting off the subway during rush hour on September 15, 2020 in Seoul, South Korea.
Currently, there is no easy way to know if there is a COVID-19 positive person close by. But imagine if there is a smoke-like detector warning everyone else that there is someone potentially spreading the virus within your reach.
It could help in the early detection of an infection. It is still necessary in spite of the vaccination rollout in the United States as virus mutations are rising.
For instance, the Delta Variant is a significant threat to locations in the U.S. with a low vaccination rate.
Ceiling-Mounted COVID-19 Alarm
The new way of detecting COVID-19 is still in its early stages. However, in the future, it could be helpful for classrooms, offices, or airplanes, The Star reported. These locations due to their confined yet populous nature increases the risk of spreading viruses.
Scientists from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and Durham University teamed up to kick off the early study of this non-invasive COVID-19 detection tool.
Their findings showed that it is 98% to 100% accurate. Essentially, from the study alone, it exhibits a PCR lab test level of accuracy. Additionally, the alarm only took 15 minutes before it warned that a virus carrier is within the vicinity.
However, the researchers noted that the study is still in its infancy stages. It has not yet been published and reviewed by third parties.
A Cambridgeshire firm, Roboscientific, is behind the game-changing sensor that could be mounted in any ceiling.
The Sunday Times added that the fire alarm-like detector could also sniff out people who are yet to exhibit symptoms like lack of taste. Thus, it is a step forward from the PCR tests that had difficulty catching asymptomatic patients.
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COVID Alarm: How Does it Work?
The ceiling-mounted detector senses COVID-19 carriers through the chemicals of our breath and skin that lingers inside the room. To be exact, it will be sniffing out the "volatile organic compounds (VOC)," which the human nose could not do so.
Also, dogs can recognize VOCs, but, of course, an alarm is practically better to be used. And it detects it more accurately than domesticated pets.
After 15 to 30 minutes of sampling of air in confined spaces, the alarm will be notifying the people inside the room via a smartphone or a computer.
Yes, it is more discreet than smoke detectors, which beeps loudly, as it should.
Meanwhile, a cocktail drug helps in lowering COVID-19 deaths by 20%.
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Written by Teejay Boris
