April 15, 2022 – A unique test of this kind that detects coronavirus in the breath can produce results in less than 3 minutes, but the impact in the real world could be limited.
The test, from InspectIR Systems, produces results faster than the 15 minutes required for existing COVID-19 rapid tests – and is a leap forward in testing technology.
The FDA granted the emergency use permit for testing on Thursday, which will be available in licensed settings. But the COVID-19 breath test is not for home use.
That’s why the impact of the test may be limited, says William Schaffner, MD. The manufacturer says it can produce about 100 test instruments a week and “it’s not like producing 10,000,” he says.
Capacity is also limited – each test system can evaluate 160 breath samples per day.
“So this can’t be used at a concert or a big ball game or something,” says Schaffner, a professor of medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville.
The COVID-19 breath test is more likely to be used in a “regular doctor’s office or clinic … a circumstance in which the capacity of the device would be adequate”.