Focus Taiwan
Date: 04/15/2020
By: Chang Chien-chung, Chang Ming-hsuan and Matthew Mazzetta

Taipei, April 15 (CNA) Taiwan researchers have developed a new nucleic acid test kit for the virus that causes the COVID-19 disease, and it can produce results in an hour, with 90 percent accuracy, the Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) said Wednesday.

The kit was developed by ITRI researchers in cooperation with the National Defense Medical Center and four private companies, ITRI President Edwin Liu (劉文雄) said, during the unveiling of the test kit at a press conference in Taipei.

Similar in size to a soda can, the test kit is "highly accurate, lightweight, sensitive and efficient," the ITRI said.

The test kit analyzes samples obtained by swabbing the patient's throat or nasal passage to detect the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes the COVID-19 disease, and the result is produced within an hour compared to four hours for other early detection tests, the ITRI said.
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