Scientists test system for detection of COVID-19 in air at Beijing Olympics
Chinese scientists developed a system for detecting COVID-19 in the air. The new technology was first tested at the venues of the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing. China Daily reports.
Although COVID-19 primarily spreads via respiratory droplets that are released when a person coughs or sneezes, researchers have found that it can be transmitted by aerosol particles that linger in the air, especially in closed settings, the experts noted.
The new tool consists of a portable collector designed to suck in ambient air and shake out aerosol droplets consisting of fine particles that can carry the novel coronavirus, mix with the air and be inhaled. After disinfection, the collected gas is transformed into a fluid and tested via a nucleic acid detector.
The detector is 10 times more sensitive than regular nucleic acid testing tools, according to the research team, which comprised scientists from Tsinghua University, Peking University and the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences.
Thus, even samples with a low viral load can be detected. The entire testing process, from collecting air samples to reporting the results to local epidemic control authorities, takes less than four hours.
The technology is now being tested at Olympic venues in Beijing, and in the future it is likely to be used in hospitals, at railway stations and airports.
