

A NEW coronavirus test that takes just 50 minutes could be available to help NHS staff back to work in weeks, a scientist has said.

The portable kit, which works from a throat swab sample, is a molecular test to establish if a person currently has Covid-19.

⚠️ Read our coronavirus live blog for the latest news & updates

A new coronavirus test that takes just 50 minutes could be available to help NHS staff back to work in weeks Credit: Represented by ZUMA Press, Inc.

It could be used in a hospital anteroom, processing 16 samples at a time and displaying the result on a smartphone.

Dr Justin O'Grady, research group leader at the Quadram Institute in Norwich, said the test kit aims to help self-isolating medical staff to return to work as quickly as possible and ensure those at work are not spreading the virus.

"Most testing, results are taking 24 to 48 hours because they're tested centrally," said Dr O'Grady, who is an associate at the University of East Anglia.

"It depends on the hospital set-up, it depends how far you have to send the sample, hospitals are doing screening in batches.

"They're all ramping up so turnaround times are coming down but they've all got more samples to test.

"It's difficult to broadly state the testing time ... but it'll take at least a day to get results whereas we can get a test result in 50 minutes."

The portable coronavirus test kit by the Quadram Institute in Norwich Credit: PA:Press Association

Dr O'Grady started developing the kit earlier this month with microbiologist Jonathan Edgeworth at Guy's and St Thomas's NHS Foundation Trust in London.

It is hoped that a pilot study will begin to test staff at St Thomas' Hospital by the middle of next week, Dr O'Grady said, with the hospital then to "rapidly make a decision whether that's working well".

"We have to move super quick, so we would hope to be implementing this in some way in hospitals in two weeks or so," he said.

"We have to be careful of health and safety and we have to be sure we have a test that performs to a certain standard but these are extraordinary times so we would try to do that and get that process validated as quickly as we could."

Mobile phone results

He said a semi-skilled healthcare professional would run the tests, and they could be carried out near to patients.

"You could run it in an anteroom, where blood gases are tested in hospital, where there's machinery just off the ICU," said Dr O'Grady.

"You can run 16 samples at a time on this little machine and it's a portable device, it's inexpensive, you get the readout on a mobile phone."

He said it could provide additional capacity for NHS staff testing and could help at pinch points such as emergency rooms.

"If you want to screen staff, for example, you might have 30 staff on an ICU," he said.

"We could test all those staff in the morning, within two hours, and tell the staff whether they're well or potentially sick, whether they need to go home, or if staff send in a swab we can tell them whether they can likely come back to work if they're self-isolating because maybe a child in the family has had a cough or something like that.

"We're just trying to keep staff at work or get them to go home if they're a risk to patients.

"What we're hoping to do is make sure that nobody who has maybe mild or very mild disease who's able to transmit the disease is actively treating patients as that is dangerous and can spread the disease within the hospital to vulnerable patients.

"Then we want to make sure we can get doctors back to work as quickly as we can.

"And then we also want to make sure that hospitals that are further away from central testing are given the opportunity to have a rapid screen for staff but potentially even for patients if the test's performance is good enough for diagnostic purposes."

CORONAVIRUS CRISIS - BE IN THE KNOW Get the latest coronavirus news, facts and figures from around the world - plus essential advice for you and your family. To receive our Covid-19 newsletter in your inbox every tea time, sign up here. To follow us on Facebook, simply 'Like' our Coronavirus page.

The work is currently being funded by various existing grants within departments, with no official funding at present.

It comes as Boris Johnson revealed a 'game-changing' new coronavirus test will be available to hundreds of thousands of Brits as soon as possible.

The Prime Minister said Britain is in talks to buy an antibody test which would be "as simple as a pregnancy test".

The revolutionary new check tells you if you've had the killer bug.

If it finds you have already been infected - and are resistant to Covid-19 - it gives the green light for you to go back to work, and return to normal life.

Current tests

Currently, the NHS only has a nasal swab test that can detect whether someone's current illness is Covid-19.

This is done through laboratory analysis and can take at least 24 hours.

It comes as around 1.4 million Brits are expected to be told to self-isolate on Monday due to coronavirus.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock said that those who are classed as vulnerable will be contacted with the specific actions they need to take.

Experts say that older people and those with underlying health conditions are more susceptible to the deadly bug, which has infected at least 3,269 in the UK.

The Government is urging people to social distance - including steering clear of pubs and restaurants - in order to stop the spread of the bug.

But pictures have shown boozed-up Brits spilling out of clubs and bars in recent days.

An army of 65,000 retired nurses and doctors have been told “Your NHS Needs You” in the battle against coronavirus.

Medical students and trainee nurses are also being invited to join the fight — while members of the public have been asked if they can help, too.

The Prime Minister said he expects the tide to be turned in the fight within 12 weeks, as he urged the public to follow social distancing advice and for businesses to "stand by your employees".

But he implied that this is only if the public heeds the social distancing guidance, saying: "I know it's tough, I know it's difficult... but please, please follow the advice."

MORE ON CORONAVIRUS Live Blog COVID UPDATE Strict £10,000 fine for people refusing to self-isolate as new infections rise HOME TIME New London lockdown 'can't be ruled out' with people working from home 'in days' 'STUCK IN ETERNAL HELL' Three Brit friends held against their will in 'covid jail' in Italy Latest VIRUS SPREADS UK coronavirus cases rise by 3,899 as another 18 people die FLOUT OF ORDER What are the fines for breaking lockdown rules? PAY BOOST Millions of Brits to be paid £500 if they need to isolate - how to claim the cash UNDER PRESSURE When is Boris Johnson's next speech on the coronavirus second wave? TESTING TIMES Susanna Reid reveals coronavirus nightmares left her 'screaming and crying' 'SLOW DOWN' UK 'can't afford harsh lockdown' as 'no evidence' of 2nd wave, warns professor 'CAVALRY IS COMING' Hancock says 'still hope' of covid jab this year - or 'early' next year

He also said British experts expect to start trials for a vaccine against the virus within a month, although expectations are that a vaccine will take at least a year.

Mr Johnson added that a "game-changer" antibody test was "coming down the track" which could identify whether somebody somebody had become immune to the disease so they could return to their daily life.

The PM also pledged to massively increase testing to up to 250,000 a day, which combined with collective action and scientific progress he said would save "many, many thousands of lives".