India-Israel 30-second coronavirus test in ‘very last stage’
“It will be good news for the entire world.”
By MAAYAN JAFFE-HOFFMANMagen David Adom medical team members, wearing protective gear, is handling a Coronavirus test from patients in Jerusalem, on April 17, 2020(photo credit: OLIVIER FITOUSSI/FLASH90)
A 30-second coronavirus detection test being developed jointly by India and Israel is being calibrated by the Israel team after testing was completed in India, a source at the Indian Embassy in Israel told The Jerusalem Post.When the calibration is complete, an announcement will be made, and the tests will be mass produced, the source said. The calibration process was intended to set “technical parameters to improve efficiency,” he said.“This is the very last stage,” the source said, without elaborating.The Defense Ministry declined official comment on the status of the tests, but a spokesperson said: “Once I have concrete results, I’ll be happy to provide more info about it... It could be a game-changer.”The test should be ready in “a matter of days,” and “all thresholds have been passed,” Israeli Ambassador to India Ron Malka told the Press Trust of India news agency last month.“It will be good news for the entire world,” he said.Israel sent a senior-level delegation from the Directorate of Defense Research and Development to India in July to develop the new and rapid coronavirus tests in cooperation with their Indian counterparts, who were treating Indian coronavirus patients.The group focused on four technologies: sound waves, breathalyzers based on terahertz waves, isothermic identification and checking polyamino acids.Tests were conducted on a large number of samples in India. All the tests and data are being reviewed by Israel.India likely will be the manufacturing headquarters for this rapid test, Malka said.
