A UK-based company Mologic has developed COVID-19 hand-held testing kits at a bargain.
In collaboration with Senegalese research foundation, Institut Pasteur de Dakar, Mologic kits cost a meagre $10 while the test will be conducted in just under 10 minutes.
With the shortage of staff and resources, the authorities in Africa have been working to contain the spread of COVID-19.
The mother continent accounts for only 1% of the global healthcare expenditure, however, it carries 23% of the disease burden.
Every year, it reports thousands of deaths from HIV, Malaria, and tuberculosis.
Only about 36 countries out of the 54 countries from the African continent have the capacity to test the coronavirus.
However, any major spike in the cases can overwhelm the laboratories, as seen in other developed countries.
Mologic previously used the technology to test coronavirus from malaria and home pregnancy kits.
The Saliva and finger-prick test kit can be ready as early as June 2020, and available just for $1.
Usually, the laboratory process for testing Coronavirus can take several hours and costs $400 in private laboratories.
“We are ensuring that these tests are made accessible at the cost of manufacture,” said Joe Fitchett, medical director of Mologic. This U.K.-based company has also received a $1.2 million grant from the UK government to develop this test.
