Johns Hopkins University, USA, has developed a rapid blood test which confirms whether a person has been vaccinated against COVID-19.
Robert Kruse led the research team after he discovered that a particular blood test could be used to confirm a person’s vaccination status, without the need to display a vaccine card. Kruse also stated that the test showed results in barely five minutes, compared the current lateral flow tests to detect antibodies at point of care.
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While the COVID-19 antibody test involves pricking a finger and placing a drop of blood on a card, a fusion protein developed by the research team is housed on the card to detect Covid-19 antibodies in minutes.
The University test on 400 blood samples identified antibodies in previously infected patients at the rate of 87.5 percent — a slightly higher rate than the ELISA tests done in hospitals that take hours.
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“Immunocompromised patients who don’t always respond to the Covid-19 vaccine can do Kruse’s test for their antibody level to see if the vaccine is effective,” said Yuting Huang, Kruse’s co-author and a research fellow at Johns Hopkins University.
Even as the world seeks to reopen gradually, such a test will be beneficial for airports, stadiums, and areas where residents are expected to crowd at closed spaces. (AW)
