Canary COVID-19 breathalyzer

South African scientists will start field testing a breathalyzer that could become an inexpensive and rapid way to screen for COVID-19.  “SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, can initiate oxidative stress by a similar mechanism observed in other viral pneumonias .  . . with the production of highly reactive nitrogen oxide species. This would in turn enhance the concentration of alkanes and oxygenated compounds that are exhaled from the breath. A larger load of distinctive biomarker molecules would eventually result in higher sensor response for patients with COVID-19 disease as compared to COVID-19 negative individuals,. . .  Our differentially reactive sensor system is expected to generate a distinct pattern that can discriminate between people with COVID-19 disease and those without.”        MORE

Image Credit:   Canary Health Technology