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Siemens’ medical technology subsidiary launches rapid test to detect coronavirus on the market. The antigen test is supposed to show if a person is infected with the virus in 15 minutes, much faster than conventional PCR tests. Siemens Healthineers announced today that it can be used in the EU with immediate effect, and emergency approval from the US FDA is planned.
Rapid tests are an important component of the testing strategy because they can be used to determine on the spot and without medical specialists whether, for example, airline passengers and school children are infected. However, the sensitivity is somewhat lower than that of PCR tests in the laboratory.
Siemens Heathineers rapid test detected 96.7 percent of positive cases in a study, conventional tests are more than 99 percent. The specificity is 99.2 percent; there are hardly any false positive results.
“In everyday life there is a great need for reliable tests that can quickly identify infected people and that help contain the spread of Covid-19,” said responsible division manager Christoph Petain. “With our test, we would like to help limit the risk, particularly in places with high volumes of traffic and where people meet frequently.” Comparable rapid tests are already available from Swiss competitor Roche, among others.
