Muristek
Washington, April 15
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued an emergency use authorisation for what it said is the first device that can detect Covid in breath samples.
The InspectIR Covid-19 Breathalyzer is about the size of a piece of carry-on luggage, the FDA said, and can be used in doctor's offices, hospitals and mobile testing sites. The test, which can provide results in less than three minutes, must be carried out under the supervision of a licensed health care provider.
Dr Jeff Shuren, director of the FDA's Center for Devices and Radiological Health, called the device "yet another example of the rapid innovation occurring with diagnostic tests for Covid". The FDA on Thursday said the device was 91.2 per cent accurate at identifying positive test samples and 99.3 per cent accurate at identifying negative test samples. "InspectIR expects to be able to produce approximately 100 instruments per week, which can each be used to evaluate approximately 160 samples per day," the agency said. — AP
S Korea to remove most restrictions
Seoul: South Korea will remove most restrictions, including indoor gathering limits, as it slowly wriggles out of an Omicron outbreak. People will still be required to wear masks indoors, but authorities could remove an outdoor mask mandate. AP