This test is suitable for the qualitative detection of novel coronavirus in sputum sample. Sputum is not just saliva but the thick mucus – sometimes called phlegm – which is coughed up from the lungs. It aims to answer: do I have the virus now? This test is an immunochromatographic membrane assay that uses highly sensitive monoclonal antibodies to detect nucleocapsid protein from SARS-CoV-2 in sputum sample. It is able to provide a rapid result in 15 minutes.
The test is taken to:
⦁ Diagnose infection
⦁ Test following infection to see if the virus has been cleared
⦁ Screen asymptomatic individuals to detect if they carry virus and are potentially infectious