(Agence Ecofin) – Soon, it may be possible to know very early on whether a subject with Covid-19 will have a serious form or not … and this, from a simple blood test.
This is what the work of a team of scientists, led by Prof. Markus Ralser, from Charité University in Berlin, who has developed a blood test, which could predict whether or not a patient with Covid-19 will need intensive care, faced with the disease.
According to The Guardian, which relays the information, this small blood test could even give the chances of survival in subjects presenting clinical symptoms of the disease (by way of illustration, 80% of subjects tested positive are asymptomatic in Africa).
Covid blood test can predict patient survival chances? Great work by Markus Ralser @TheCrick. https://t.co/4fDoJ2WZZE
— Jim Smith (@ProfJimSmith) December 8, 2020
Earlier this year, Professor Ralser and his team had already made a major contribution in the study of the virus, identifying 27 proteins in the blood of patients with Covid-19, whose presence and distribution were indicative of the level of severity of symptoms.
In addition to making it possible to make arrangements upstream, their new tool, if validated, could also help make difficult decisions, in the unfortunate case where hospitals are under great pressure and overwhelmed by patients. Which, fortunately, is very far from being the case in sub-Saharan Africa for the moment, despite the limitations of the health system.
Ayi Renaud Dossavi
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