Our cell phones say more about ourselves than we think and could even reveal if we have covid-19, according to a study carried out by Chilean scientists who devised an original method to test the virus: do a PCR on the screen of these electronic devices.
It’s called PoST. “Phone Screen Testing” and, according to research, published in the English scientific journal eLife, it is a reliable method to identify covid-19 patients, including asymptomatic or presymptomatic, since it gives 90% the same result as a nasopharyngeal PCR.
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“The most personal device, the cell phone, receives constant exhalation when we speak and digital contact when we touch the screen. It is a true reflection of what we carry inside, ”Dr. Luis Quiñones, an academic at the University of Chile, who coordinated the development of the research, explained to Efe.
The method was devised by Rodrigo Young, a Chilean biochemist who works at the University College London, in England, and was developed among various institutions, among which the University of Chile and the London Great Ormond Street Hospital stand out.
The main advantage, Young explained to Efe, is that prevents a person from having to go through a nasal swab, it is a non-invasive diagnostic method, and it is also much less expensive than other techniques since it avoids hospital care.
“Taking a human sample is what makes the PCR test more expensive, because what makes it a clinical test, but this method is much cheaper and could be of great help to trace and combat the pandemic”, added the researcher.
“The swab is passed over the cell phone screen instead of the nose and then it is analyzed as with a normal PCR to detect if there are traces of the virus RNA,” academic Alejandra Lavanderos, who participated in the research, explained to EFE.
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100% effective in cases of high viral load
This test method is also a good alternative to other less sensitive ones, such as the antigen test, widely used throughout the world, but which, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), has a high risk of false positive results in tests. low prevalence settings.
Young’s team tested around 1,200 people, who underwent both the conventional PCR test as with the PoST method, and according to the study, for those who had a high viral load, the detection efficiency was 100% with the sample taken from their cell phone.
Delta, Alhpa or Gamma are several of the SARS-CoV-2 variants that the WHO has added to its list of variants classified as “of concern”, and their traceability has been a challenge worldwide due to their high contagiousness and the logistical difficulties of having to sequence virus samples.
This is why Dr. Quiñones’ team questioned and inquired, with successful results, if the PCR method of the mobile phone screen is useful to detect these new variants.
EFE
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