A new rapid coronavirus test which provides individuals with results in just 20 seconds has been given the go-ahead in Scotland.
The speedy test, which is known as Virolens, was given approval by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency ( Covid-19 ).
Trials conducted at Heathrow Airport have shown that the rapid test has 98.1 per cent sensitivity, meaning that there is just under a one per cent chance of a false negative.
It has also shown 99.7 per cent specificity, which meant that there was just a 0.3 per cent chance of a false positive.
How it works
- Individuals take a mouth swab to collect cheek and tongue cells before it is placed inside a testing cartridge.
- A Virolens operator then pops it into a machine, where it is examined by a lateral flow tests.
- Holographic imaging is then run through an artificially-intelligent computer trained to detect holographic microscope.
- The device then returns a positive or negative result for coronavirus within 20 seconds.
The distribution company is set to launch the product with immediate effect and is hoping for a further rollout in the coming months - with the hope the tests could be used for airports, sports venues and businesses.
Scotland currently tests for coronavirus through PCR and lateral flow tests - which can take from hours to a few days to return a result.
