1. Researchers at the Monash University in Melbourne have devised a new blood test that can detect positive coronavirus cases in just about 20 minutes.
2. The test can determine if someone is currently infected or has been infected in the past.
3. The test analyses the blood sample to determine the presence and amount of a substance to detect the antibodies raised in response to the SARS-CoV-2 infection.
4. Researchers used 25 microliters of plasma from blood samples to identify recent COVID-19 cases.
5. During the tests, researchers found that the positive COVID-19 cases caused the clustering of red blood cells, which was easily identifiable to the naked eye.
6. Medical practitioners across the world can test up to 200 samples per hour, using a simple lab setup.
7. The majority of the tests being conducted in India and worldwide are RT-PCR, which requires nasal and throat swabs.