The non-invasive and low-cost Phone Screen Testing (PoST) method is going to help middle and low income countries.
Using the PoST method, researchers from University College London (UCL) analysed samples obtained from people’s mobile screens. People who have tested positive for Covid-19 on a normal nasal swab RT-PCR test were also positive when samples were collected from their smartphone screens, according to the researchers.
According to a study published in the journal eLife, ongoing surveillance would be required to keep SARS-CoV-2 from spreading, especially the emergence of new variants that could break the effects of vaccination efforts. PoST, according to the researchers, could aid to contain Covid-19 outbreaks and the discovery of potentially dangerous variants in the future.
PoST is a non-invasive environmental test rather than a clinical test, according to the researchers, and it is less expensive than typical RT-PCR. It included taking swabs from the mobile phone’s screens. After collecting the samples, they are immersed in a saline water solution.
The researchers, led by Dr Rodrigo Young of University College London, tested 540 people using both PoST and PCR tests.
Researchers said in the paper, “We successfully identified variations associated with SARS-CoV-2 Alpha, Beta and Gamma variants in positive PoST samples. PoST is a new non-invasive, cost-effective, and easy to implement smartphone-based smart alternative for SARS-CoV-2 testing.”
Diagnosis Biotech, a Chilean firm started by Young, is now working on a machine. Diagnosis Biotech will build on this research by taking a phone for PoST sampling and sending the results directly to the user via SMS.