The World Health Organization (WHO) has approved a test that gives you your COVID-19 results between 15 and 30 minutes. ‘New, extremely portable and an easy to use test’, says the WHO. The tests will be produced by two pharmaceutical companies, the South-Korean company SD BioSensor and the American company Abbott.

To prevent wealthier countries from buying up all the stock 20% of the tests have been reserved for the developing countries. This amounts to about 120 million tests in the coming 6 months, the other 80% will be distributed throughout the world.

The price of the test will vary between countries. For the developing countries, the test will cost about 5 dollars (4,30 euros) while the price for countries like Belgium lays 10 times higher. 

The PCR-test (Polymerase chain reaction) is still the most accurate test but takes more time. This new test measures about 80 – 90 per cent accuracy and can be used in schools, universities and companies. 

Text: Helena Lundahl, photo: “Coronavirus Research” by danielfoster437