Dubai trials breath test to detect Covid-19

The test that can detect if an individual has Covid-19 using a breath sample is being trialled in Dubai as a potential.

The rapid test will be trialled on 2,500 patients at Nadd Al Hamar primary health care centre with the aim of assessing its accuracy.

The device works by having a patient exhale into a disposable one-way valve mouthpiece. It then measures and analyses volatile organic compounds (VOCs) biomarkers — indications if the immune system is fighting a specific disease — in the sample and gives results within one minute.

The joint clinical trial is being carried out by Mohammed Bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences, Dubai Health Authority and Breathonix, the company that developed the test.