Test by test: Covid kits from 10-minute finger-prick tests to a mask that can diagnose instantly

Boris Johnson today announced that coronavirus testing was to ramped up to 25,000 per day after the government was lashed for potentially allowing tens of thousands of infected people to walk the streets undiagnosed. Only 5,000 were being swabbed for COVID-19 previously, a fraction of the number seen elsewhere. It comes as the number of positive … Read more

Coronavirus UK: Other countries’ tests can diagnose in minutes

Pressure is mounting on the UK Government to upgrade its coronavirus testing as other countries switch to diagnostic kits that take just minutes to produce results.   Boris Johnson today announced testing will be ramped up to 25,000 a day after coming under scathing criticism for letting thousands go undiagnosed. Only 5,000 people were being swabbed daily … Read more

A simple blood test could now be used to diagnose sickle cell disease in unborn babies

A simple blood test could now be used to diagnose sickle cell disease in unborn babies The test is usually performed by inserting a needle into the mother’s abdomen   But now a blood test could be used instead after a study on 64 pregnant women  Test provided conclusive results for 60 of them and was … Read more

Would you trust a computer to diagnose your illness? 

Healthcare has come a long way thanks to human endeavour — but even occasional human errors can have disastrous consequences. A misdiagnosis can mean undergoing unnecessary treatment; a misread scan can mean a patient is wrongly given the all-clear. Potentially life-altering or even life-ending mistakes can be made, even by excellent doctors. So the news … Read more

CT scans may be the fastest way to diagnose coronavirus, study suggests

CT scans may be faster than nasal and throat swabs at diagnosing coronavirus, a new study suggests. Doctors from The Mount Sinai Health System in New York were the first in the US to analyze lung scans of patients in China with the highly contagious disease.    They said they were able to identify specific patterns … Read more